Everyone Makes Mistakes
by mikkiemakkie
Summary: Set after Ward removes Skye and Raina off the bus... what could possibly happen before Skye meets her father? After last night's episode this will have to be slightly AU and how I think it should have gone... :0
1. Chapter 1

"What the hell is that?" Skye demanded as Ward placed a strange looking device onto the loading door of the 'bus.

"It's an EMP, designed to alter the trajectory of RPG's, torpedoes and regular gunfire." Ward told her, pressing the button to activate it and pushing Skye out of the door into the jet.

"Why? Why not just blow us up?"

"Contrary to popular belief Skye I do not want you dead. Any of you. If I had I would have shot you already."

"So why take me?"

"I'm just keeping my promise." Ward told her, forcing her to sit down on one of the benches weither side of the jet and tying her there, more for his own safety than hers.

"What promise?"

"The one where he said he would take you to your father." Raina told her.

Skye's head snapped back to look at Ward, who gracefully slid into the pilot seat and disengaged the jet from the 'bus.

"Why plant that device. Any attack on the 'bus will be traced back to you." Skye told his back.

"I may have let the 'bus go unscathed Skye, but when Whitehall finds out he will order it to be shot out of the air."

"What?"

"I told you. That device is to divert the pathway of anything they fire towards it."

"Won't you get into trouble for that?" Raina asked him

"Probably, but I'll just smile and apologise." Ward replied, shooting her his winning smile.

Skye felt disgusted. After everything Ward had said to her, here he was, flirting with Raina in front of her.

"So what's the plan now? You just going to keep me tied up and deliver me like a sack of potatoes to my father?"

"No. I'll untie you when I can be sure you won't try and stab me." Ward told her.

Skye was a little shocked by his response.

"All Hydra Agents. This is Whitehall. I want you to take down that heap of tin and everyone left in it. And if you see Ward, I want his head."

"That's not good." Raina said, looking to see how Ward would react to this hit being placed on his head.

To her surprise, Ward remained impassive.

"I think that means it's time for us to go." He said, flicking a couple of switches and sending the jet into supersonic flight mode.

He knew he couldn't use it for long, but he knew it would be enough to get away from the others and he would be long gone before they could even catch him.

Skye started hyperventilating as she wondered what would become of her friends on board the 'bus. Tears started pouring down her face.

"I think we're safe now." Ward said, pressing the autopilot button and getting up to release Skye.

The second her hands were free she launched a punch at him, connecting hard with his nose and making it bleed.

"Don't make me tie you up again." He warned. "They'll be fine."

"If they aren't I swear to God I will kill you." She screamed through her tears.

Ward didn't say anything, but leaving Skye untied he dabbed at his nose with his sleeve and returned to his seat.

"Where are we headed?" Raina asked him.

"We were meant to be returning to HYDRA HQ, but I don't see that happening now there's a hit on my head. So we're going to lay low."

"How do you plan on removing this tracker?"

"Like this," Ward said, gripping Raina by the arm and dragging her into the back of the plane.

He got the defibrillator out of its box and turned it on. He placed one paddle on Raina's hip and the other on her knee. When it had reached the required output Ward pressed the button and zapped Raina with electricity to neutralise the tracker in her leg.

"All good."

Skye watched this interaction with interest. While Ward was being the evil sadistic creep she had learned to loathe, there was something else there that she couldn't quite put her finger on. He definitely wasn't the same person he was when she last saw him.

He silently went back to the controls and adjusted their flight plan to throw off anyone tracking the chip.

"Are you excited? You are finally going to meet your father!" Raina asked Skye.

"Excited to meet the lunatic murderer who tried, and very nearly succeeded to kill my friends? I can't wait." She replied, her answer dripping with sarcasm.

Skye couldn't take her eyes off Ward, something which Raina made a mental note of.

* * *

"We should be safe here for the night. You two can take the bed." Ward told them, leading them into a motel room and waving at the double bed.

He walked straight past the bed and into the bathroom. He made sure the window couldn't open and all sharp objects had been removed before going back into the main room and settling himself in the comfy chair. He took his gun out of its holster and placed it on the table in front of him.

"You two should get some sleep." He repeated.

"How do I know you won't kill me in the night?" Skye asked nervously.

"I'm sure if Agent Ward wanted you dead he would have killed you already. It's not like he hasn't had the chance to." Raina told her, unzipping her dress and sliding into the bed.

Shooting a look at Ward, Skye also climbed into the bed, but elected to remain fully clothed.

Ward remained awake in the chair, thinking about what their next move should be. He needed to get in touch with Skye's father, but with HYDRA now hunting him it would be difficult to make contact.

As he felt his eyes starting to droop, Ward took his gun, removed the bullets and proceeded to clean it with the small, pocket sized kit he always carried on him.

When his gun was clean, he went back to brooding over their current predicament.


	2. Chapter 2

"NNNNNoooooo!"

Ward sat bolt upright and chastised himself for falling asleep.

Looking around the room he saw the two lumps in the bed that were the sleeping forms of Skye and Raina.

Calming his breathing down, he glanced at the clock on the bedside table.

3AM.

Wearily he got out of the chair and made his way to the door. He opened it, stepped out and closed it, letting the cool, early morning air wash over him. Glancing back at the room, he headed towards the stairs that would take him down to the pool, where he stripped off his shirt and trousers and, using perfect technique, dived in and attempted to swim away the lead that he felt in his body.

* * *

Skye was walking down a corridor towards a doorway filled with light. She was surprised. It was nicely decorated and felt fresh and happy. Which is _not _how she felt. The further down the corridor she walked, the heavier she felt, like any minute she would be so heavy the floor wouldn't support her any more.

Just as she neared the light, she heard a scream that made her blood run cold.

"NNNNNoooooo!"

Skye froze in her tracks. She looked longingly at the door. She was so close to meeting her father. She could feel it.

But her moral conscience wouldn't let her forget the scream in a hurry and just as she made a decision to head back down the corridor and find the source of the scream she heard a door open behind her.

She woke with a start.

"What the hell was that about?" she thought.

She quickly glanced around the room and re registered what had happened the previous day.

Her eyes lingered on the chair where Ward had been when she went to bed, but she could see in the dim light that he wasn't there. Slowly and carefully so she didn't wake Raina, she climbed out of the bed and checked the bathroom.

He wasn't there either.

She heard very soft footsteps outside the room. She wasn't sure, but she thought they were leaving.

She crept over to the door and listened until she was certain the footsteps had gone, before opening the door and seeing a flash of Ward heading down the stairs.

"Where is he going?" she thought as she followed him, keeping to the shadows as much as possible.

Skye was still on the first floor overlooking the pool when she saw him reach for the surrounding gate. She watched him reached the water edge and remove him shirt and then his trousers before gracefully diving into the water and powerfully swimming to the other end, before executing a tumble turn and swimming back.

Skye watched mesmerised. She had only ever seen him train his muscles, not his cardiovascular system.

It wasn't long before Skye felt a presence next to her.

"He's fascinating isn't he?" Raina asked.

"No."

"Then why have you been watching him for the best part of an hour? Unless you still carry a torch for him. He is an irresistible bad boy after all."

"I don't, I mean. He seems different from the last time I spoke to him."

"I saw the news. He lost most of his family. That has to affect the hardest of people."

"He didn't lose them. He murdered them and set fire to the house to cover it up." Skye spat.

"We should move. He looks like he's about to get out."

* * *

He could feel someone watching him as he turned. He lost count of how many lengths he swam, and how long he swam for, but when he noticed that the day had got light he swam under the water towards the ladder and hauled himself out.

He noticed a flurry of movement on the balcony and realised it had been Skye and Raina who were watching him.

He shook the water out of his hair, picked up his clothes and headed back to the room.

"So you two were watching me?" he asked, closing the door and heading towards the bathroom to dry off properly.

"No. We haven't left the room." Skye told him.

Ward paused and turned to look at her.

"May's really taught you well. I almost believed that. _Almost._" He said, not taking his eyes off hers. He could see the guilty look on her face, before disappearing into the bathroom to dry and change.

He emerged five minutes later, water glistening in his hair.

"We should move. We can't stay in one place for more than a night." He said to them.

"I would like to talk to Coulson." Skye demanded, holding her hand out for the phone he confiscated off her.

"Not yet. I have a feeling he's a little busy." Ward told her gently, guiding her out of the door. Raina followed behind.

"What?" Skye stuttered, halting in the doorway.

"Nothing."

"No. You know something. Is he alright?" Skye asked, panicking that something had happened to Coulson.

"Not that I know of, but my sources indicate he and FitzSimmons found the hidden city. That's all I know." Ward explained, giving her a gentle nudge.

He noticed Skye's pale face.

"I'll do my best to find you an update." He promised, which made Skye set off out of the door again.

"So what's the plan?" Raina asked.

"We go to the local train station and get on the first one leaving." Ward told them.

"Why can't we go back to the jet?" Skye asked.

"It belongs to HYDRA. They'll find it soon, so we better hurry up."


	3. Chapter 3

They sat in awkward silence as the train chugged its way down the track. As Ward had said, they got on the first one, regardless of where it was heading. It just so happens that the first train was heading to Alaska.

"We're going to freeze." Skye moaned six hours later, as the train doors opened at a small station in the middle of nowhere, sending a strong, icy breeze around the carriage.

"We'll be fine. I have some supplies in a box up here."

"Is it in the station?" Raina asked him.

"Maybe, maybe not." Ward said, not fully trusting Raina. She did have a history of selling people out to get what she wanted.

"So what do we do when we get there?"

"We get off the train and get our supplies before finding somewhere to sleep for the night."

"That's a simple plan." Skye said, wondering where the catch was.

"They tend to be the ones that work." Ward told her.

He put one of his feet up onto the seat and, looping his arms around it started staring out of the window.

Skye studied his features. There was definitely something wrong.

"Next stop, Wainrwright, Alaska." A woman announced over the PA system "This train will terminate here."

Ward stopped staring out of the window and picked his jacket up. Skye and Raina did the same, knowing that they would be going no further.

Ward stepped off the train and zipped his jacket higher, shoving his hands in his pockets to try and keep them warm.

"Holy Crap! It's cold" Skye squealed, stepping off the train behind him.

"I've been colder." Raina said in her usual cryptic manner.

"Yeah well. We need to go and get some coats or we'll all die of pneumonia." Skye pointed out, while trying to make shapes out of her misting breath.

"We'll go get my lock box, then we can get some clothes." Ward promised.

He led them five paces when he found his forehead against the barrel of a handgun. The three of them were surrounded by gun toting agents.

"It's OK girls. Agent Coulson sent me to come and get you." The man pointing his gun at Ward said.

Raina quickly moved behind the man. Skye glanced at Ward who didn't take his eyes off the gun barrel and followed Raina.

"Heil Hydra" The man quietly said to Ward, cocking his gun.

Skye, sensing something wasn't right turned to look back at Ward and heard what was said next, even though it was said barely above a whisper.

"Whitehall will be so happy to know I've blown your head off."

Skye looked to her side and found a loose piece of wooden fence. She pulled it off and, on instinct hit the man around the back of the head.

Ward, seeing Skye hit the man launched into action. He disarmed the man in front of him, then using the gun to take out the others before they could react.

Ward raced forward and grabbed Skye by the arm.

"Where's Raina?"

"A thankyou is always polite." Skye said as Ward dragged her into the station.

"Thankyou for saving my hide. Now where's Raina?"

"I don't know. I think she ran off, back towards the train." Skye told him.

Ward was moving so fast Skye found herself having to run to keep up to him.

"My box is at the bus station, we go and get it and then get out of here." Ward told her, navigating her into the parking lot.

"We're going to steal a car?"

"Borrow."

"Borrow without permission with no intention of returning it?"

"Yep. But right now needs must."

Ward took a lock pick kit out of his pocket and started working on a car, trusting Skye to keep lookout.

Within the minute he had opened the door, so he reached across and opened the passenger one to allow Skye in. Then he set to work on the ignition.

"How do you know how to do this?" Skye asked, slightly impressed.

"Convicted at 17 for GTA." Ward explained, flashing her a devilish smile as the engine roared to life.

Ward put it in gear and set off towards the bus station. He pulled into a parking bay and turned the ignition off.

"What are you doing?" Skye asked. She had been preparing herself to go and retrieve Ward's box and was surprised when he stopped the engine.

"We are going to go and get the box, before we swap cars."

"Swap cars?"

"I assume you know that was HYDRA, not SHIELD and that's why you attacked."

"I heard him say something about Whitehall and your head."

"Then they will know we stole a car and will be looking for it. So we need to swap cars to get out of here."

"That makes sense. Although I am holding you personally accountable for all of this. If you hadn't taken me off the bus then I wouldn't be on the run from HYDRA with _you._" Skye said, the tone of her voice telling Ward that he had a long way to go before she would trust, or like him again.

He got out of the car, walked around to Skye's side and opened the door for her to get out.

She followed him into the bus station and towards the lockers there.

He pulled a bunch of keys out of his pocket, searched through the keys until he found the right one. He put it in the lock and turned.

"How long have you had this box?" Skye asked.

"About eight years." Ward told her.

"How did I not know about it, I mean, I researched all your possible hidey holes when you had that whole Loreli thing. This one didn't come up."

"It's not one either SHIELD or HYDRA were aware of. Call it an exit strategy."

Ward opened the door and pulled the holdall out of it and indicated to Skye that it was time to leave.

* * *

"We've been driving six hours, it's getting late. Can we stop?" Skye pleaded.

"We can stop at the next town. Before we set off tomorrow we can get some winter clothes."

"What is the next town?"

"Fairbanks."

They fell into silence once more while Ward negotiated the roads and found them a motel to stay in for the night.

"You coming in or are you staying here?" he asked her reaching for his door handle.

"I'll stay here until you get a room." Skye said, not really wanting to brave the cold until she had to.


	4. Chapter 4

Ward stood on the balcony that their room opened out onto, taking in the frozen, yet clear night.

"Wow! That is something else." Skye said joining him and seeing the sky light up in a way she had never seen it.

"It's the Aurora Borealis." Ward told her "also known as the Northern Lights."

"It's amazing."

"It's one reason I agreed to stop here. It's the only place in Alaska you can see them from. Other than that, you're looking at Iceland."

"You wanted to see them?" Skye asked confused. Of all the things she expected, that was not it.

"I thought you might appreciate it."

Skye passed him a blanket from their room and pulled the one she had wrapped herself in closer to her.

They stood side by side watching the lights swirl and change before them well into the night until Skye shivered.

"Why don't you go to bed?" Ward suggested.

"Where are you going to sleep?" She asked.

"I'll sleep in the chair." He told her.

She nodded and headed to the bed, changed into a clean t-shirt Ward had given her and climbed under the covers, revelling in the fact that she had thought to put something in to warm it.

She lay in bed, with her back to the balcony, waiting for Ward to come back in. She tossed and turned for a while before drifting off into an uneasy sleep.

When she woke up early morning light was filtering in through the window and Ward was sat in the chair, cleaning his gun.

"What time is it?"

"Five thirty."

"And you're awake?"

"Yeah. Been awake for a while."

"I can see that. I'm surprised you haven't gone out for a swim." Skye taunted him, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Not this morning."

"What too cold?"

"The pools heated genius."

"How do you know?"

"Went for a swim around midnight."

"Did you sleep?"

"Yeah. I slept really well. This chairs comfy."

Skye suspected this was a lie, and knew there was a reason behind it, as Ward had promised never to lie her again.

"Get dressed, we need to move." Ward told her, clicking his ammo back into the gun.

"As long as I can stop and get some clean underwear at some point." Skye said, crawling out of the bed and pulling her trousers on.

"When we pass a shop we can get some clean clothes and toiletries and things like that." Ward promised her.

"Where are headed?" Skye asked him as they locked up the room and went to hand their key in.

"I don't know."

"Aren't we near Canada?"

"Yeah?"

"So can't we go to Providence?" Skye suggested waiting by the car for Ward to open it. She wanted to go somewhere familiar where she could have access to a computer.

"You want me to go to a former SHIELD safe house where HYDRA or SHIELD or maybe even both at the same time could find us and kill me on sight before dragging my lifeless body through the woods to string me up and leave me to the wildlife." Ward scoffed.

"It was only a suggestion. If you have a better one I'm all ears." She retorted, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice and face.

"I like the idea, but we would be found so easily there it's not worth it."

"Let me guess, you have a safe house we can go to that neither agency is aware of in case you needed to bolt."

"Actually I do. I'd completely forgotten about it. We'd have to go south before planning it and going on foot so we can't be traced."

"So where would we meet my father?"

"We could meet _him_ in Providence." Ward told her restarting the car, which made her smile.

He shifted the car into gear and set off.

* * *

"Skye, will you please hurry up. We haven't got all day to get clothes! And don't forget you will need to carry them." Ward called through the door of the changing room.

"Well if I don't know where we're headed I don't know what to get!"

"Hot and Humid. So think light and airy." Ward told her.

"And what about until we get there?"

"A jacket and jeans will do. The cars warm."

"Gotcha." Skye said opening the door wearing clothes she had torn the tags off to hand to the cashier to pay.

"Are you done?"

"No. I need a change of clothes and some underwear."

"Fine. Take this. I will be next door getting us some food. I'll meet you back in here." Ward told her grumpily, passing her some money.

Ward left Skye putting the tags on the counter and moving off to browse the underwear section while he went to the convenience store next door to pick up groceries.

He walked into the store and his attention was immediately captured by the small TV showing a house ablaze in the middle of woodland.

"..says that the deaths of Senator Christian Ward and his parents may not have been murder suicide and that a third party may have been involved."

Ward ignored the news reader's comments and browsed the store for items that he and Skye could easily pack away in rucksacks. He also picked up some readymade hot food and two cups of coffee. He paid for the items and went back to find Skye.

She wasn't in the shop.

"Damn it!" He cursed to himself, he turned to the cashier "Excuse me. Have you seen my girlfriend?"

"She said something about going to find you."

"Thanks."

Ward walked back to the convenience shop and quickly scanned the aisles for her.

Nothing.

He walked back to the shop door and accidentally walked into someone.

"Skye! I told you I'd meet you next door." He scolded.

"There is only so many times you can look at the same clothes, so I came looking for you."

"I told you to stay put. I thought you'd run off."

"And go where? I don't even know where I am." She retorted, before nodding at the TV screen.

The Senator's picture was still covering it.

"That have anything to do with you?"

"No."

"You're lying."

"I had nothing to do with his death." Ward told her.

She still didn't believe him.

"Let's get a new car and go." He told her, his features darkening.

* * *

"That's the third diner we've passed in the last half hour. I'm hungry." Skye stated as Ward drove.

"There's a packet of nuts in one of the grocery bags."

"I need real food."

Ward swung the car into the diner. And Skye happily got out and headed for the door.

"Are you coming?"

Ward reluctantly followed Skye, eyeing up two men sat outside on Harley's.

Skye settled herself into a booth and pulled a menu towards her.

"You're in a dessert mood aren't you?" Ward asked.

"I haven't had any pie in so long."

"I don't like this."

"Get over it." Skye snapped.

"Fine. Just order your food so we can leave."

A waitress came over to take their order.

"I'll have a cheeseburger and all the works and a chocolate shake please."

"Chicken club and a coffee." Ward grumbled. He wasn't hungry, but he knew he had to eat.

"We're out of the club I'm afraid."

"I'll just take the coffee then."

The waitress jotted down their order and went to alert the kitchen before getting their drinks.

"I need to use the restroom." Skye said, getting up from the table.

"If you aren't back in five minutes I will come and find you. And I will warn you now. I know how to track."

He watched Skye disappear into the back, leaning over the bar counter and saying something to their waitress in the process.

Skye came back within her allotted time and they sat in a semi awkward silence while they waited for Skye's food to arrive. Their waitress arrived with their drinks and Ward gratefully sipped the hot coffee.

"Where are we?"

"Why, you stolen a phone and wanting to text Coulson to come pick you up?" Ward asked her.

"No. But if we're going to be seeing most of the country then I would like to know what I'm seeing."

"We are on the Canada/US border. We'll have to keep driving or find a motel when you've eaten."

Just then the waitress arrived with Skye's cheeseburger and another burger that she placed in front of Ward.

"I didn't order this." He said, looking at Skye, but addressing the waitress.

"No your girlfriend did for you."

"I realised that." He told her, which she took as a dismissal.

"You look like you haven't eaten or slept in a week." Skye told him.

"Like you care!"

Skye couldn't reply. She didn't know how she felt.

"I care if you're going to stop HYDRA killing me and are going to driving me around the country." She finally said in a quiet voice.

"Whatever. Just eat your burger." Ward told her, picking at the chips that came with his.

When Skye had slurped the last of her milkshake he settled the bill and ushered Skye back out to the car.

"So are we going to keep driving or find a motel?" Skye asked him.

"Yes."

"Which one?"

"We will keep driving until we find a motel." Ward told her.

"I don't sleep well in cars."

"So stay awake then."

They got back into the car and Ward started the engine. He shifted it into gear and set off driving, glancing every now and then in the rearview mirror and seeing the two Harley's following him.

He looked across to Skye, who, despite her claims she didn't sleep well in cars, was sound asleep.

He got to the border and handed over the fake passport he had in his emergency bag, aswell as the one he had managed to create for Skye.

They waved him across.

Ward drove and he drove, not seeing much of anything in the dark. He reasoned that there had to be a motel somewhere along the freeway for people driving to Alaska.

The bikes were still following him, but as it was now dark, they had turned their lights out.

Ward pulled over, leaving the car running and got out. He walked to some nearby bushes and ducked behind them.

He watched as the bikes slowed down to a crawl, before realising if they stopped they would be made, so they overtook the car and carried on into the night.

The noise of the engines woke Skye up, and when she realised she was in the car on the side of the road and alone, she started to panic.

"Calm down Skye, I needed to pee." Ward told her, thinking the truth might be too much for her to handle.

"I thought you'd left me." She said in a soft voice that made her sound incredibly vulnerable.

"I would never leave you." Ward promised, throwing the car back into gear and setting off again.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Please note. Towards the end of this chapter there is suicidal reference. If you are younger readers or feel you wouldn't be able to read it, please feel free to skip this chapter - I will bring you another one shortly.**

**And thankyou to everyone who has reviewed so far... keep it coming!**

* * *

"How long have you been driving?" Skye asked when she woke up the following morning.

"About 12 hours. I was waiting for you to wake up to stop for breakfast." He told her, checking his mirror again.

The bikes were back.

"There's a diner here. Why don't we stop and eat."

"I agree. But you do exactly as I tell you and you do not leave the table without me." Ward told her, his tone indicating he meant business.

"What's going on?"

"Those two bikes have been following us since we stopped at that cafe."

"Oh my God. That's why you stopped last night! You lied to me!" Skye screamed at him.

"I didn't want to panic you. You needed to sleep. If you knew we were being tailed you wouldn't have slept." Ward told her, his reasoning for misleading her calming her down.

"So what do we do to lose them."

"We go in, sit in a booth at the back. You whisper something in my ear and pull me towards the bathrooms. Then we sneak out the back and get a new car, so take your bag."

"We don't order?" Skye asked disappointed as her stomach made a huge growling noise.

"Not in this place. We need to get far away from here."

"How do they keep finding us?" Skye asked, voicing the question Ward had been asking himself since the diner the previous day.

"You ready to do this?" He asked, pulling into a parking space.

"No, but I'll have to." She replied opening her door.

In her periphery, she saw the two bikes pull up outside the diner.

She took Ward's hand and they walked into the diner. He saw an empty booth at the back and he slid into it. Skye slid in next to him and he bent down and placed his mouth at her ear.

"Good. Now don't look so nervous, you're doing fine. Just pretend I'm telling you a dirty joke." He whispered, sending shivers down her spine.

She laughed and pushed against his chest, before he bent down to her ear.

A waitress disturbed them before Ward could tell Skye their next move.

"Water please."

"Same here. Could you give us some more time for the food?" Skye giggled, watching the waitress leave before knocking her cutlery off the table onto the floor.

She slipped to the floor and retrieved it, pulling a small notebook out of the bag of the person who was in the booth next to them and stuffing it in her own.

Ward bent down to her ear again.

"Right let's go."

Skye looked at him, bit her bottom lip and slid out of the booth. She held her hand out to him, which he took and she led him to the bathroom, the pair of them laughing and joking all the way. Once they were inside, Ward locked the door while Skye opened the window.

"It's a long way down."

"It'll be fine. Just make sure you land in that bin full of boxes." Ward told her, pointing to it.

Hesitantly, Skye climbed onto the window ledge and taking a deep breath she jumped.

When she landed safely in the boxes, she scrambled out to make room for Ward., but he was already on the ground before she even made it her feet.

"How did you do that?"

"I'm a well trained specialist." He told her, taking her arm and leading her to a car, where he picked the locks and let her in.

He fired it up and peeled out of the lot.

He drove at breakneck speed until he felt he was far enough away from the bikers.

Skye pulled the notebook out of her bag and started hacking her way through the password protection.

Ward drove for another hour before stopping at a diner to let Skye get some food. By the time her breakfast came, she had broken through and changed the computers defences.

"We need a plan." She said, opening up the internet.

"I was going to try get us back to the USA before heading towards the safe house, but before we go there we need to figure out how they are tracking us."

"We could fly?" Skye suggested.

"They'd catch us on cameras."

"Well it's 37 hours by car to Vancouver. If we take it turns to drive we don't have to stop for anything but food."

"Why?" Ward asked.

"Why what?"

"Why are you suggesting this? I mean, you could have run at any point, yet you're still here."

"Without you I am in the wilderness alone in the cold and without a phone. At least sticking with you I stand a chance at survival." Skye told him.

"Fine. We can take it in turns to drive, but don't do into Vancouver. They'll probably be waiting for us there. Go to Seattle instead."

"That adds two hours onto the drive."

"Big wow!" Ward told her sarcastically.

Sky shot him a dirty look and threw her napkin at him.

"When we get back in the car I'm driving." She told him.

"I'm fine." Ward told her, nursing his coffee and nibbling at the slice of toast he ordered.

"You've been awake and driving for damn near 24 hours. I'm driving."

"Fine."

* * *

"Ok. So how do I get this thing started?" Skye asked Ward as she adjusted the seat so she could reach the pedals.

Raising his eyebrows at her, Ward leant over her lap, took the cables in his hands and hotwired the car. Once the engine was running smoothly he sat back in his own seat. Skye put the car in gear and set off driving.

"You do realise Seattle is the other way." Ward told her.

Skye shot him a look of loathing before spinning the car around.

"I was just making sure we weren't being followed." Skye lied to cover up her mistake.

They sat, yet again in silence with Ward looking out of the window.

"So are you going to tell me while we are trying to outrun HYDRA together?"

"Tell you what?"

"Why the silence, restless nights and lack of eating thing."

"After everything I have done to you, why do you even care?"

"I don't, I just find the silent you unnerving."

"Well, you better get used to it." Ward told her, before returning his gaze to the window.

Skye drove for hours, only stopping when her stomach indicated it was time to eat.

They switched when they finished eating and Ward was back behind the wheel. He drove steadily south and Skye studied him, wanting to know why he wouldn't open up to her.

The next stint of driving lasted until early evening when Skye demanded they switch again and get something to eat.

Due to the silence, Skye found her eyelids drooping and she swerved the car into oncoming traffic. Ward grabbed the wheel and forced the car back to their side of the road.

"Pull over. You're clearly too tired to drive. I'll take over. You sleep." He told her as she regained control of the car, shaking from their near miss.

She nodded and pulled over to the side of the road. She left it running and got out. Ward was already at her door.

Once they were both comfortable, Ward set off on their journey.

* * *

After driving almost none stop for a day and a half they arrived in Seattle. Ward insisted that they get a motel room so they could get some rest.

While Ward was in the shower, Skye pulled his keys out of his pocket, having seen, in Alaska, the micro USB device attached to them. She plugged it into the stolen laptop and pulled up the folder that contained the drives data.

To her surprise, it contained single video file.

Glancing to make sure Ward was still in the shower Skye opened it and furrowed her brow as she saw it was a candid camera video.

It started with the 'confession' that Skye had seen on the TV from Senator Ward, but quickly turned into a hug and walking along a dirt track before cutting out. She could see by the time left that the video would come back on.

It did.

Skye watched to see Ward in a mirror dressing a wound to his ribs. He had taken one of his arms out of his shirt and was using his teeth to tear strips of tape to secure over a piece of gauze. There was a gunshot and Ward looked up, snaked his arm back into his sleeve, dropped his shirt and ran from the bathroom.

He had made it halfway down the stairs when the second shot rang out.

Following the sound of the echo, Ward finally found the source of the shots. He walked into the drawing room to find Christian stood holding a still smoking gun, both of his parents on the floor, blood pouring from wounds.

"What did you do?" Ward shouted at his brother, bending down to check both of his parents pulses.

"I had to. They wouldn't tell me the truth."

"It's ok Chris. We can sort this out." Ward told him, standing up and turning to face his brother.

"No, we can't. I do want you to do a few things for me. I want you to burn this hell hole to the ground, just like you tried to do before. I didn't understand it then, but I do now.

I want you to do what you have to do to become free from Hydra then I want you to meet a woman, fall in love and have a beautiful family.

The last thing I want you to do is forgive. I want you to forgive me for ruining your childhood and I want you to forgive me for not being the brother I should have been. You were the strong compassionate one and I resented you for it.

I love you Grant. I haven't said that often enough, but it's true and I want you to forgive yourself." Christian said to him, playing with the gun, swapping it from hand to hand, tears streaming down his face.

"Give me the gun Chris. We can work this out together."

"I'm sorry Grant."

Christian raised the gun to the side of his head.

"NNNOOOOOOOO!" Ward yelled, lunging forwards as he pulled the trigger.

Skye snapped the notebook closed and pulled the drive from it. Tears that had been welling up in her eyes started flowing.

"I wished you hadn't watched that Skye." Ward said from behind her. She wiped her eyes and turned to face him. She could see his face was dark with emotion, but rather than being angry with her he seemed vulnerable.

"Ward, I." But what she wanted to say was cut off by Ward striding to the door and disappearing out into the cold night.


	6. Chapter 6

Skye saw Ward run from the room. She waited a few seconds before deciding to follow him. She didn't need to catch him, just keep him in her sights. She kept hearing his cry over and over again in her mind until she was convinced she'd heard it before.

She was intrigued when he ran into the park and started looking at the trees.

"If he starts hugging one I'm gonna call Coulson and have his head looked at." Skye thought, trying to understand this strange behaviour. She saw him run at a tree, and before she could scream out to stop him, he placed a foot on one of the lower branches and flung himself onto the higher ones. She watched as he scrambled higher and higher into the tree, until his body was a blob in the streetlights.

* * *

Ward ran. He couldn't breathe, but he ran. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew he needed to run, and to climb.

They had passed a park on the way to their motel. It was far enough away for Ward to be out of breath when he got there and had enough tall trees to satisfy his urge to climb.

So that's where he headed.

When he breached the gates he started looking for the perfect mark. Gazing at each tree in turn he finally saw one that was perfect.

It had on singular low branch and around ten feet to the next one.

He ran as fast as he could towards this branch and just as he landed his foot on the lower one to propel himself up, he heard a soft scream and immediately knew Skye had followed him.

Preferring to climb than talk, Ward gripped each of the branches in turn and hauled himself further up the tree, until the branches were too thin to support him.

He sat on the branch, liking the feel of the rough bark through his shirt and tried to regain control.

He started with his breathing.

In, Out, In – he felt like he still wasn't able to breathe.

Out, In, Out –he felt his chest tightening.

"You aren't thinking of jumping out of there are you?" He heard Skye ask him from bottom of the tree.

He didn't reply. He just kept trying to breathe.

"Ward, come on. Don't make me come up there, failing miserably, falling out of it and breaking something!"

Ward sat shaking, still not answering her.

He heard a scuffle, a snap and a squeal as Skye, like she threatened, tried to climb up, failed miserably and fell back to the ground. Fortunately she didn't break anything.

"I'm not going to give up. I will just have to wait here until you come down."

Ward still sat there, not responding.

He heard Skye huff and stalk off and was thankful, but he didn't expect her to have returned five minutes later with a ladder.

I wasn't very long before she was sat on the branch next to him, holding on for dear life.

"Where'd you get the ladder?"

"They seem to be doing some work on the playground and are very lax about locking their tools away. Why the hell are we sat in the top of a tree?"

Ward stayed quiet.

"Well I know why I'm sat in the top of a tree. I'm here to talk to you and seen as though you won't come down..."

"I like heights." Ward told her in a voice so low and soft that Skye almost missed it.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"They make me feel safe."

"Heights, where if you fall you would probably be killed makes you feel safe?"

"It was where no one could get to me."

"It's ok to grieve you know. Keeping it all inside like that is _not _healthy." Skye told him softly, reaching out a hand towards him, but, feeling too unsafe, pulled it back quickly and gripped the tree again.

"Grief is an emotion, emotions are a weakness. You can't afford to be weak in this job." Ward recited.

"That's a loada crap. Where did you hear that?" Skye almost spat, a little bemused.

"Garrett."

"Yeah, well, Garrett was a lunatic who tried to turn himself into a robot 'cause he was dying and built himself an army of human robot hybrids to help him. He also threatened people's families if they didn't work for him and had me shot. Twice." Skye rambled.

"Doesn't mean he's wrong though."

"Doesn't mean he's right either. I know you like heights, but if I stay here, I'm going to fall. Can we please get down?"

Reluctantly Ward climbed out of the tree and held the ladder to help Skye before returning it to the workers space.

He was surprised when Skye took his hand and guided him out of the park.

"Emotions can be a powerful thing. They can fuel you when you have nothing left to give. You would jump in front of a bullet for someone you love. Why? Because you love them, which is a feeling. Grief is just another feeling."

"What if I don't _want_ to feel?" Ward asked her, looking at the ground.

Skye stopped and turned to look at him. She had never seen him look more vulnerable. She cupped his chin in her hand and forced him to look at her.

"Everyone wants to feel. It's what makes us human. For you to move on from this and do what your brother asked you, you need let yourself feel so you can process it and get it out of your system." She told him, before pulling his head to her shoulder

"Will you show me?" he asked her quietly.

Skye wrapped her arms around his body and pulled him in close.

"I'll try."

Realising how cold they both were, Skye released Ward and walked with him back to the motel.

"You need to sleep." Skye told him.

"I'm fine."

"Stop being so stubborn. Please sleep?" Skye asked, doing her best to force him into the bed.

Once he was laid down, Skye pulled the covers over him and knelt beside him and stroked the side of his face until he was asleep.

* * *

When Ward woke up the following morning, the covers on the other side of the bed had been disturbed. Clearly Skye had slept in the bed with him, but now, she was nowhere to be seen.

He heard the door rattle slightly and went, for his gun, before realising he'd left it in the bathroom the night before.

He let out a sigh when Skye opened the door and came in holding a carrier with two cups and a paper bag.

"How do you feel this morning?" She asked.

"Humiliated."

"Well I got you a coffee and a croissant."

"Thankyou, but I'm not hungry."

"That's the grief."

"Skye."

"Will you just eat the damn croissant? If I have to stick with you to meet my father I'd rather you didn't die from lack of food" Skye yelled at him.

Ward took the croissant out of the bag and broke a piece off. It was still warm to his touch.

He popped it into his mouth and, feeling like he had forgotten how, started chewing on it. Swallowing also proved to be a challenge.

He could see Skye smiling at him and tore another piece off.

"Where'd you get the computer?" he asked her, chewing more croissant.

"Borrowed it from someone with no intention of returning it."

"See, it's so much easier to say than stealing." He laughed.

Skye smiled. That was a sound she hadn't heard for a long time and one she realised she'd actually missed.

"Yeah. I was going to send Coulson an email of everything I found on that USB of yours. I wasn't expecting to find _that_." Skye admitted.

"I didn't mean to shoot that. I must have flicked the camera back on when I pulled my shirt up. I'm glad you saw it though. At least now you believe I didn't kill them."

"I never thought" Skye protested, before seeing the look Ward was giving her. "Fine. I did think you were responsible for more than just the fire."

"And now you know."

"True. I also now know why you've been so quiet and distant."

"Come on. We need to get moving." Ward told her, throwing the covers back.

"We do indeed."


	7. Chapter 7

"Skye, when you said you'd drive, I expected you to at least head south, _not_ east."

"I thought this would be a good idea to try shake off your friends."

"Or a bad idea as it gives them more time to set up a strike team. And they aren't my friends."

"Well, this is the way we're headed."

"What are you planning?"

"Nothing."

"That the same sort of nothing as 'We haven't left the room'?"

"No."

Ward raised his eyebrows at her.

"Fine. I saw on the news this morning that your brothers funeral is in two days in Massachusetts. I thought you might like to pay your final respects."

"You do realise, since he outed me as HYDRA, I show up there I will be shot on sight."

"I know. That's why we're going without going."

"What?"

"It's a 45 hour drive and we're already 5 hours in, so if we drive like we did last night then we can just about make it, stopping only for toilet breaks and getting drive through."

"I meant the other thing."

"We find the cemetery, and then we watch from a safe, yet reasonable distance. Then when everyone's gone you can visit him."

"What about your dad? That's what this is all about. I then plan on dropping you off back at S.H.I.E.L.D."

"I've waited long enough I can wait a few more days."

"This is a really bad idea."

"Noted. Now if we stop every few hours to swap drivers and we get a new car as often as possible then we should be good."

* * *

They drove for the next 40 hours, travelling through Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Penslyvania, and Yew York before arriving in Massachusetts.

"Typical." Skye muttered to herself as she navigated the roads to find the cemetery.

"What is?" Ward asked sleepily from the passenger seat.

"The first time I drive from one side of the country to the other and I can't stop to see the sights."

Ward stayed quiet. Skye noticed that the quieter they got to Massachusetts, the quieter he became.

"I can see the cemetery."

"Did you plan a place to watch from? We need to be at least 100 metres away from it so we don't get caught."

"I didn't realise we had to be so far away."

"My brother was a senator. This place, in about an hour will be jam packed with people and cars." WArd explained.

Skye fished the map out of the door pocket and handed it to he pinpointed where they were he proceeded to measure out a gap. Five minutes later he jabbed the map.

"Here. This is where we need to go."

"You sure?"

"Right at the end of the road."

Skye put the car back in gear and followed Ward's directions to the safe place he had identified.

"But you can't see or hear anything."

"We can see." Ward told her, leaning into the back and rifling through his bag. He pulled out a pair of binoculars and gave them to Skye, before repeating the manoeuvre and pulling a pair out for himself "Hearing isn't important."

They sat in the car watching through the binoculars as people started arriving at the cemetery.

"You'll have to provide a running commentary for me."

"You see that small blonde woman holding onto the hands of the two kids, both boys."

"Yeah."

"That's Anna, my sister in law and my two nephews."

"Oh."

"No the oh is about to come." Ward laughed.

"Really. The fact that your brother's wife and kids are burying him today isn't an oh!"

"No the oh! Is, you see that brunette in the sunglasses with the low cut top and obvious fake boobs."

"Yeah."

"That's his mistress." Ward told her laughing.

Skye looked at him, and started laughing too, before remembering she was 'at' a funeral and sobering up.

"Wow. I am suddenly glad we are so far away from there." She cried, wiping tears off her face.

"Me too. Especially seen as though Anna has a killer right hook."

"She ever used it on you?"

"She tried once when I bumped into them while out with Garrett. I have no idea what he told her, but she hates me."

"Ok. So can we finish playing pin the name on the face?" Skye asked.

"Alright. Are you watching the guy walking up to Anna?"

"Yeah."

"That's Thomas."

"Who's Thomas?"

"Younger brother. That's his wife next to him. Figures she's a redhead. He always had a thing for them."

"What do you mean?"

"I could tell you but,"

"You'd have to kill me?" Skye asked him, waggling her eyebrows making Ward laugh.

"No. But it's not pleasant."

"Oh come on."

"My sister was a redhead." Ward said, lowering his gaze to the dashboard in front of him.

"Is your sister going to be here today?"

"She died 17 years ago. She ran away from home and her body was found in the woods a week later."

"Oh Ward, I'm sorry." Skye said, the tone of her voice changing to one of sympathy and reaching for his hand.

"What people don't know is that she found a family who took her in, taught her about life, looked after her, changed her name and now she's a Doctor in New Jersey, and I would appreciate it, for her safety if that stays between you and me." Ward told her with a smile.

"You did that for her."

"I needed to get her out of there. There are things you really shouldn't let your baby sister go through."

"If she's still alive and kicking, who did they find in the woods."

"I think it was a body of a girl who had died in a car accident. I think Christian knew it wasn't her when he identified her, but wanted to give her the new life. So he said it was her."

"Why didn't your parents identify her?"

"They were too distraught." Ward told her, face clouding up again.

He watched as the coffin of his brother was lowered into the ground. He felt the overwhelming urge to laugh, and laugh, and laugh, but suppressed it by biting on his lip.

"What?" Skye asked studying his face.

"Nothing." Ward said, forcing himself to cough rather than laugh.

"There's something. I remember biting your lip indicates there's something you're trying to suppress."

Ward let out a burst of laughter before forcing himself to stop.

"What are you laughing at?" She asked curiously.

"I have no idea. I just have a seriously inappropriate reaction at funerals. " He laughed before creasing up in his seat., which made Skye laugh too.

Within the minute though, Ward sobered up, putting his hands on Skye's shoulder.

"Someone's coming."

"What?" She asked, panicking, checking the mirror.

"Hide the binoculars." Ward warned her.

Skye did what he asked and as the body came closer she realised it was a cop.

"Ward."

"It's ok Skye, I've got it."

"How about you hurt him if _my_ plan doesn't work."

He spun his head to face her and she pulled him into a kiss.

All thoughts left Ward as he felt Skye's soft lips against his. He reached up and put his hand on the side of the face and teased her lips with his tongue. She parted them and he started running it along the top of her teeth.

_Tap, Tap, Tap._

Ward pulled away from Skye and she rolled the window down.

"Is there a problem officer?"

"No problem. Just an unusual place to park is all. Do you have your license?"

"I'm sorry officer. I left it at home. I do have my passport though." She told him.

Ward passed her the passport and studied the police officer.

"What are you two doing out here in the middle of the day?"

"Well you see, we were, well, we were on a date."

"In an abandoned plant yard in the middle of the day?"

"Erm... " Skye stuttered.

"Oh I get it. You're married."

"Yes. Yes I am. And my husband doesn't know, which is why we're out here, in the car."

"Is this your car miss."

_Bang._

"Why the hell did you just shoot him?" Skye shouted, pushing the body of the police officer off her.

"He was HYDRA."

"No way. How can you tell?"

"He's on his own."

"It's called being single crewed."

"Ok, so what about: we are out of the way, off the path of normal patrols."

"Someone called it in."

"I highly doubt it. For my final point: where's his patrol car? It's not like we are in the middle of woodland and he needed to park it and finish the trip on foot and get to us."

"Alright. You got me on that one." Skye admitted.

"And I recognised him from HYDRA headquarters." Ward told her, earning a punch to his shoulder.

"You could have led with that. I guess this means we have to leave." Skye asked.

"There's time to pay a visit." Ward told her. Skye had talked him into getting some flowers and placing them on his brother grave after the funeral was over.

Skye dug her binoculars out of the side pocket of the car and put them to her eyes.

"Everyone's leaving."

"We better set off slowly. Would probably be best to leave the car here and do it on foot."

"How do they keep finding us?" Skye asked, voicing the concern Ward was feeling, while grabbing her possessions off the back seat.

"I don't know." He admitted, after a long thought.

"You don't have a tracker on you do you?"

"Not that I know of, besides I was prodded and probed pretty well when I was taken into custody by S.H.I.E.L.D. They found nothing."

"There's a but in there somewhere." Skye asked, slamming her door.

"But, I was unconscious in Garrett's care about ten years ago when I did something stupid and got hit badly."

"He could have planted a passive device thinking he needed to keep a better eye on you." Skye suggested, off the cuff and spitballing ideas.

"Thinking about it, he did have an extraordinary knack of knowing where I was at any given time."

"So what do we do?"

"We stick to the plan, but we sneak into somewhere that has an X ray machine."

"Like a hospital?"

"No. It's too public and open 24 hours."

"Nuclear power plant."

"Little overkill. I was thinking more along the lines of a vet They close overnight so we won't be disturbed."

"Vets, like an animal."

"You think I'm an animal so I guess it's all good."

"We're here. I'll let you go in alone." Skye told him, arriving at the gates of the cemetery, which was now mercifully empty.

"No, you can come with me. It would make it easier to run."

Skye followed him through the gates and stepped into stride beside him.

She snaked her hand into his and squeezed in reassurance. They walked to the grave in silence and Skye stopped short, indicating that Ward needed to do this on his own.

Ward stepped forwards towards the fresh stone and turned earth, knelt down and placed the flowers.

"I'm so sorry Chris. I promise I will do what you asked me to. It may take me time, but I will do it. All of it." Ward paused, his voice cracking with emotion. "I didn't get the chance to tell you I'd met a girl I adore, would leave the life and I would die for." He said softly, keeping his voice low.

He put his hand on the grave, letting a solitary tear fun down his face, before standing upright and turning to face Skye.

"How dare you turn up here?" A man asked.

"I have every right to be here to pay my respects, same as you." Ward told him.

"Are you going to introduce us?" Skye asked.

"Skye, this is Thomas. Thomas, this is Skye, a friend of mine."

"So you're Thomas?" Skye asked, advancing towards Ward.

"I am. What has he told you about me?"

"Only that you have a thing for redheads. It's time we were going." Skye said, first to Thomas before turning to Ward.


	8. Chapter 8

"You aren't going anywhere. I'm calling the authorities and having you arrested." Thomas threatened Ward.

"There's no need for that. He's already in custody." Skye told him.

"You don't count honey. For all I know you're HYDRA too."

Skye fished her S.H.I.E.L.D landyard out of her pocket and showed it to him.

Thomas laughed, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket.

"You're S.H.I.E.L.D and you have arrested this psychotic lunatic." Thomas scoffed.

"We have to go." Skye repeated to Ward.

"I know. I'm just waiting for you to make a move, unless you'd prefer me to do it." Ward answered.

"You think she can take me?"

"I don't think. I know."

"This bimbo."

"I think I'd like the honour." Skye said to Ward before stepping forwards towards Thomas and punching him hard in the nose, forcing him to the floor where she kneed him in the face, his unconscious body collapsing to the floor.

"Nicely done. I would have used May's preferred technique though."

"Which is?"

"Breaking his larynx."

"Come on, let's get out of her and find a vet for you, you animal." Skye said, tugging on Ward's sleeve.

* * *

"You just passed one!" Skye exclaimed.

"I know. I'm trying to find somewhere to park." Ward told her.

They had driven for a few hours and left Massachusetts for Conneticut and were down driving through the towns and villages trying to find a vet.

Ward eventually found somewhere to park and the two of them, keeping to the shadows, crept over to the building.

"It's got an alarm, think you can hack it?"

"Easier with this laptop than my old one."

"Will you just..."

"Done. Now it's your turn T-1000"

Ward quickly picked the lock and let them both in, making sure to lock the door behind them.

Skye hacked into the security camera feed and recoded an image before looping it back to the camera so that they wouldn't be seen.

"Now what do we do?" Skye asked.

"Well I guess we find something that can see through skin." Ward told her.

"Erm... Like what?"

"I have no idea."

"This is just greeaaattt."

Ward pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled a number.

"Hey, it's me. I need a favour." He said when it was answered.

"Like what?" A woman answered. Ward put her on loudspeaker

"I'm in a vets and we need to see if I've been tagged with a tracker."

"I can't do anything from here."

"Just tell us what we need to know."

"Fine. Hold on a second. I'm at work."

Ward and Skye heard a scuffle and breathing as the woman found a more convenient place to talk.

"What machines do you have?"

"We have an X ray, some weird machine with a ball type thing on the end of it." Ward said, looking around the room.

"It's an ultrasound." Skye pointed out.

"Are there any lead aprons?"

"I can't see any."

"Then you will need to fire up the ultrasound machine. It'll beep when it's ready to use."

"It's ready." Skye said picking up the wand.

"This is going to take forever!" Ward groaned.

"Are you looking for a tracker you _know _is there or one you suspect but have no proof of?" the woman asked.

"Suspect."

"Have you felt any weird lumps when you sit or lay down?"

"No."

"Then try the thighs, stomach and arms, as well as anywhere else that's fleshy."

Ward stood in a starfish potision while Skye ran over his skin with the wand.

"I can't see anything at all!" She said, looking at the monitor.

"Have you removed clothing? The ultrasound only works on skin. And try using a gel aswell, it allows the rays to penetrate better."

Ward looked at Skye before removing the items of clothing required to give Skye the access required. She ran over his body once more, watching the screen closely.

"Got it. Have you seen a defib?" Skye exclaimed, running the wand backwards and forwards over Ward's arm.

"Where is it?" The woman asked.

"Left Bicep." Skye told her.

"You can't use a defib there, it would stop his heart in a second. You'll have to cut it out."

"C-c-cut it out?" Skye asked hesitantly.

"I'll talk you through it as long as my pager doesn't go off."

"Alright. What do I need."

"You need to make sure everything is as sterile as possible, but you will need a scalpel, a pair of forceps, some silk thread and a needle."

"Oh. I see a scalpel in a package and a pair of forceps in a container."

"Those should do it. Now put on a pair of gloves. You'll need to hold the wand over the tracker."

Skye took Ward's free hand and guided him to the wand of the ultrasound. He held it in place while Skye got together the equipment she would need.

"I'm ready."

"This is going to hurt, but take the scalpel and cut into the skin for about two inches over where the tracker should be.

Skye did as she was told, making Ward hiss in pain as she dragged the scalpel across his skin.

"Keep cutting until it feels like it's given way."

Skye repeated the movement until the blade broke into nothingness.

"I'm there."

"Put the blade down and pick up the forceps. Now with one hand, open the cut and with the other you'll just have to dig around for the tracker. Use the scan to help you. You should be able to see the forceps on it."

"Ok." Skye replied. She was starting to get a little light headed, but she felt around for the tracker and when she had hold of it she pulled it out.

"It's out."

"Ok. Now with the silks you need to start from the inside and work your way out. Stitch in through one side, out of the other and tie it. Work a layer of skin at a time."

Skye worked methodically with Ward guiding her. He had had his fair share of injuries that needed to be stitched, and had even done it to himself before.

"Alright, it's closed. What next?" He asked.

"Clean yourself up, cover the wounds with bandaging of some description and let it heal."

"Thanks Hailey."

"Anytime. Gotta go, I'm being beeped." She replied, before disconnecting the line.

"So that was your sister?" Skye asked.

Ward couldn't help but notice how shaky and pale Skye was looking as she wrapped a bandage she had found around his arm.

"Yeah. Sounds pretty good for a dead girl, doesn't she?"

"Almost as good as Coulson. So what do we do with this?" Skye asked, pointing to the tracker.

Ward picked it up and flushed it down the toilet.

"We should clean up." He suggested when he got back into the room.

Skye looked around her. She had managed to get blood everywhere. The floor, counters, even the ceiling.

She tossed Ward a rag when they heard a car pull up outside. Ward indicated Skye should remain quiet as he crept to the window. He saw a man get out of the car as another car pulled up next to him.

"Crap. It's the Vet. We need to get out of here!" He hissed at Skye.

She rounded up the laptop and Ward grabbed his phone and they raced to where they assumed the back door to be only to find it locked.

"Hurry. I can hear them coming!" Skye muttered as Ward picked the lock.

It swung open just as the Vet opened the front door to let the client and his ill Labrador through the door.

He surveyed the mess in front of him and quickly dialled 911. It looked like someone had been slaughtered right there in his clinic.

* * *

Ward and Skye raced back to their car, and after a brief discussion, grabbed their belongings and went off to find another car to continue their trip in.

"That was close." Skye said as she closed the door.

"A little too close. Maybe you should remove that loop now. They may be able to track it." Ward agreed as he hotwired the car.

"Done and done."

"Done and done?"

"I've removed the loop AND I've made it non traceable."

"This is what makes you so good."

"Can we stop for the night? I could use a proper sleep."

"Not tonight. We need to get as far away from that tracker as we can. We should be able to stop somewhere for a few days though." Ward promised her.

"You ok to drive? It's been an emotional day and I did just cut your arm open."

"I'm fine. The pain might just keep me awake."

* * *

Ward drove for a couple of hours before stopping the car and waking Skye up.

"Hmph. What? You need me to take over?" She asked him sleepily.

"No. I can continue. I just thought you might like to see that." He said, nudging her into a more wakeful state and pointing out over the water.

"When did we get to New York?" She asked as she gazed at the Statue of Liberty.

"About five minutes ago."

"I want a picture." She moaned in longing.

"Go on, if you're quick."

Skye scrambled out of the car like an excited child and struck a ridiculous pose while Ward followed and lined up the shot with his phone camera.

"I can take the picture if you like!" An elderly woman out with her husband told him, thinking that he and Skye were a tourist couple.

"Oh no. It's ok." Ward protested, but the woman had already forced the camera out of his hand and pushed him towards Skye.

He stood next to her, hands dug deeply into his pockets.

"You could at least look like the two of you are in love." The woman called.

Skye moved closer to Ward, coaxed his hands out of his pockets and wrapped them around her shoulders.

"That's better!" The woman called pressing the 'take photo' button on the camera.

Ward immediately released Skye and took his phone back of the woman.

"Thank you." He said to her with a smile before calling to Skye: "Honey. It's time to go"


	9. Chapter 9

Now that they had removed the tracker chip out of Ward's arm their pace across the country slowed. Ward even stopped at some of the sights to allow Skye to have a photo. He was pushed into more than one with her by tourists offering to take their picture together.

They had travelled from New York to Washington DC, where Skye had persuaded Ward to let her get a camera for their journey, continuing to Tennessee where they stopped at the Parthenon in Nashville. They continued through Jackson and Memphis and were now heading towards Little Rock, Arkansas, where they ate their dinner and looked up motels in the area. They found one in Hot Springs.

"That's not too far from where we are." Ward pointed out before taking a bite out of his burger.

He was getting sick of eating a burger in every place they stopped, but Skye had told him, if he wanted to take her on this tour of the USA, he would have to join her in deciding which state made the best burger.

"We could walk it." Skye told him, meaning that they could dump the car and pick a new one up without leaving a trail.

"I wouldn't recommend it." Ward told her, noticing the sky had turned black.

"Why?"

"In about ten minutes there is going to be a torrential downpour which is going to last all night."

"Do you have supernatural weather predicting superpowers or something?"

"Or something. I watched the weather while you were in the bathroom cleaning up."

Skye threw a chip at him. Which he playfully returned, hitting her square between the eyes.

"So we get a car and head to the motel for the night." Skye said, taking a long slurp of her milkshake.

"Yeah. I know which one too." Ward said, dropping the rest of his burger to the plate and pushing it to the middle.

"What's up? You not enjoying it?" Skye demanded.

"It was very nice, but I am full."

"How can you be full on _half_ a burger?"

"Skye."

"No. I know you're not full. I've seen you eat more than that before."

"What can I say? I didn't eat much for a few days. It kind of kills your appetite and shrinks the stomach. Therefore making how much you can actually eat a lot less."

Skye raised her eyebrows at him.

"At least I'm eating." He pointed out, putting an end to the argument.

When they were both finished, Ward paid the bill and they set off to the car Ward had singled out.

"Why this one?" Skye asked as he opened the door.

"This car belongs to those guys you wanted to hit." Ward told her with a laugh.

"You mean the one's you had to physically stop me from hitting, nearly tearing those stitches for the second time since we put them in."

"That'd be the ones."

"In that case, let me in."

Ward opened her door and made to hotwire the car, before setting off into the darkening nights.

Within a minute of setting off the rain started. It hit them so fast the wiper blades barely kept up. Ward slowed the car down.

"I am so glad you vetoed walking." Skye said, trying to look out of the window and seeing nothing but rain.

"Me too."

Two lights appeared in front of them and continued heading in their direction. It wasn't until Ward could make out the shape of the car and swerved to the side when he realised that it was going to hit them head on.

Their car skidded down a verge and landed in a ditch.

"You ok?" he asked Skye.

"Yeah. I think I'm just a little shaken."

"We need to get this thing back onto the road. I'll get out and push, you scotch over top the driver's seat and when I tell you to, rev it up the bank."

"Alright" Skye agreed, secretly glad she wasn't the one who was going to get wet through.

Ward got out and squelched through the mud to the front of the car. He put two hands on it and pushed, feeling the stitches in his bicep pop and tear. He would have to get Skye to re stitch them.

Just as Ward pushed, Skye hit the gas, showering him with thick, sticky mud.

"Sorry!" She cried out of the window.

"Clearly the car is stuck. We need to find something flat to put under the tyres." Ward told her, wiping the mud out of his eyes.

"Does this mean I have to get out?"

"Stay put for now. No point in us both getting wet." He told her, heading to the boot of the car.

He found two sheets of plastic, a knife and elbow length rubber gloves.

"I should have let you hit those two guys." Ward called to her.

"Why?"

"We have a murder kit in the back here. I think we better wipe the car down and finish this journey on foot."

"But it's wet."

"It's either get wet or be charged as an accessory to murder."

Realising Ward had a point she got out of the car and squelched to the back, needing to hold onto the side of the car to haul herself up to the back to inspect the murder kit.

"Is that blood on the knife?"

"Yeah. It's dried so it's been there a while."

"Let's get our stuff out."

WArd slipped down the ditch and got their bags out of the car, tossing them to Skye, who then tossed them onto the road. He spent five minutes removing any evidence that they were in the car, before slipping and sliding his way back to Skye.

He closed the boot to preserve any evidence for the police and wiped it down, before helping Skye climb the rest of the way up the ditch and onto the road.

"Can we at least check the boot next time we borrow a car?" Skye complained as she picked her bag off the road. She was already wet through.

"And get caught borrowing it?"

"What if the next time there's a body?"

"I tell you what. We borrow it, get a few miles out and then check." Ward compromised, setting off down the road.

"I can live with that. How far to the motel?" she asked, taking his hand. In this visibility, it was the only way she could guarantee that they wouldn't lose each other.

"I don't know. In this rain my phone and the laptop would be useless." Ward said, shivering.

They actually reached the motel quicker than they thought they would, and the manager laughed when he saw the state of Ward, and how wet they were.

"Get caught out in the rain did you?"

"No, we look this way all the time. Can we just get a room please?" Ward told him, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"We have room 12 available. First floor, 3 doors down from the stairwell."

"We'll take it. Do you happen to have any towels?" Ward asked. It was clear to Skye he was grumpy.

"There's a couple in your room."

Ward handed over the money for the room and took the key.

Sluggishly he and Skye made their way to their room. He let them in, looking forward to getting into a nice warm shower. He put his dripping wet bag on the small table and turned to find Skye had beaten him to the shower.

Begrudgingly, he sat on the chair and waited for her. He started dosing off when Skye hit him with a towel and told him the bathroom was free.

He shuffled into the bathroom and turned the shower on as hot as he could tolerate it, before stripping his clothes off and stepping into the shower. He scrubbed his skin to remove the mud and let the hot water warm him up. He didn't notice the water turning red from the blood dripping from his arm.

"Ward! You ok in there?" Skye called from the room.

She got worried when he didn't reply.

"Ward?" She called again, putting her hand on the door knob.

When she still didn't get a reply she opened the door and made her way cautiously towards the shower. Drawing back the shower curtain she saw Ward stood, albeit swaying slightly, with his eyes half closed and blood running down his arm.

She turned the shower off and grabbed the towel before wrapping it round Ward's body. She pulled him out of the shower and she helped dry him off. She wrapped the towel around him again and guided him back to the room where she sat him back on the chair and re-stitched his arm back up.

"You ok?" She asked him.

"Hmm. Yeah. What?" Ward asked slightly confused.

Skye searched through Ward's bag and located a dry pair of boxers. She forced his legs into them, pulled him into standing and closed her eyes as she dropped the towel and pulled them up to his waist.

"I think it's time you got to bed."

"Ok. I'll go." He murmured, but not moving his feet.

Skye pulled him to the bed, peeled back the covers and made him sit down on the edge of the bed before picking up his feet and placing them on the bed. She covered him up and ran a brush through her hair before climbing in next to him.

* * *

"Mmmmm. This bed is so warm." Skye thought when she woke up. She could hear it was still raining outside and decided she would plead with Ward to stay put until the rain had stopped.

She turned over to see if Ward was awake yet and was shocked to see he was sweating, yet shivering at the same time.

"What the?" She said under her breath.

Skye reached out her hand and placed in on his forehead. It was immediately clear why the bed was so warm. He was running a serious fever.

Skye scrambled out of the bed and searched through Ward's things until she got to his phone. She scrolled through his recent contacts list and was annoyed when she couldn't find the number for his sister.

Ward shook violently from the bed.

Skye quickly changed and headed for the door.

"Hi, yeah. I was wondering if you knew of any pharmacies in the area." Skye asked the manager when she got to reception.

"There's one about five miles east of here."

"Ok. Thanks. Could I possibly pay for a couple more nights here and do you have a car I could borrow?" Skye asked, batting her eyelids at him.

After negotiating a rate for staying a couple of extra nights and for the hire of his car, Skye set off to the town where she could find the pharmacy.

She located it and purchased what she would need for Ward's arm to heal before approaching the attendant.

"Excuse me. My boyfriend and I were caught in the rain last night. When I woke up he was running a fever and shivering."

"Does he have a cough, or headache or anything like that?"

"He was still asleep, which is unusual. He's an early riser. Is there anything I can do?"

"You'll need to bring his fever down and make sure he drinks plenty of fluids. Make sure he eats something too. Also try him with some pain killers."

"Like what? He's not been eating much since his brother died."

"Try soup. It usually makes people feel better when they're ill."

"Is there a store round here?"

"End of the block and hang a right."

"Thanks."


	10. Chapter 10

_*Cough*_

_*Cough*_

_*Cough*_

Ward woke up to an empty room.

"Skye?" He croaked. There was no answer.

"Skye?" He called a little louder, bringing on another coughing fit.

He threw the covers off his body and put his feet on the floor.

"Where the hell am I?" He wondered, not remembering the previous night.

He forced himself to stand and the room started spinning, but he ignored that and went to find his bag. When he saw it was empty he started to panic, before realising Skye had hung everything out to dry, as the rain had penetrated their bags.

He started coughing again as he pulled his trousers towards him and proceeded to put them on. He pulled them up and found he'd put them on backwards.

He took them off and changed them round.

They were on backwards again.

He tried once more and failed, yet again.

He sat there with his trousers around his ankles, willing himself to try again and locate his shirt as he felt very, very cold.

He was vaguely aware of the door opening and closing.

"Ward?"

He looked at the source of his name.

"You ok?" Skye asked.

"Cold." He told her, shivering again.

"Come on. Let's get you back to bed." Skye told him in a soft voice.

He felt so weak he didn't stop her from removing the trousers around his ankles and guiding him back to the bed.

"I thought you'd gone."

"Where am I going to go? I don't know how to hotwire a car." Skye told him with a smile.

"Where did you go?" he asked her as she brought the covers up to his neck.

"I went to get some food for us for the next couple of days. I got some more dressings for your arm and something to help you feel better. I also paid for the room for another couple of days."

"Why?" Ward asked, but before Skye could answer, he was fast asleep.

* * *

He woke up a few hours later to Skye tapping away on the laptop and smiling at something.

He sat up and threw the covers off him.

"Woah! Where do you think you're going?" she asked him.

"I need a drink." Ward rasped out.

"Get your ass back in that bed. I'll bring you one." Skye ordered him, rummaging in the bags she had got at the grocery store.

Ward pulled the covers back over him and sat propped up against the headboard.

She took him a bottle of mango juice and the painkillers and felt his forehead. He was still burning.

"Here. Take these." She said, handing him two pills and the drink. She had even put a straw in it to make it easier to drink. "You hungry?"

"A little. Not much though."

"I'll get you some food." She told him, but by the time she had got it out of the bag, he was asleep again.

She placed the soup next to the microwave ready to heat it up when he woke up again, before returning to the laptop. She loaded the photos from her camera onto it and proceeded to filter through them, deciding which ones she wanted to keep and which ones she thought she could leave out.

As she went through them all again, she realised she had kept every single one of her and Ward, and that the further they got into their 'trip' the more relaxed he became.

She looked at the sleeping form of Ward and she felt something she couldn't explain. She saved the pictures to his memory stick and made a mental note to get one for herself.

She saw Ward stir, and put the soup in the microwave. By the time it had heated through Ward was awake.

"Hey." She said tenderly, holding the bowl of soup in her hands as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"How long have I been out?" Ward asked her.

"A few hours."

"A few hours. We need to move."

"No. You are in no fit state to move. Now eat your soup." Skye said, passing him a spoon. He was looking paler than she had ever seen him.

Ward took the spoon and put it in the bowl. He tried to find the strength to lift it up, but failed.

Skye took pity on him and brought the spoon to his mouth, which he slurped gratefully.

She continued to feed Ward the soup until he took her hand and directed it back to the bowl. The statement of that move was clear: 'I've had enough'.

Skye felt his forehead again and discovered to her horror that his fever was still climbing.

She put the bowl next to the sink, picked up a small hand towel and ran the tap on cold for a minute before soaking it, wringing it out and taking it back to Ward. She placed it on his forehead and he flinched at the temperature drop. She moved it around his head and he covered her hand with his.

"Thankyou." He whispered.

"Sshhhhhh. Just go back to sleep." She said softly to him.

She helped him lay back down in the bed and continued to wet his forehead. When the towel had dried out from his fever she wet it again and continued to rub his forehead.

After the third time Skye had soaked the cloth, she went back to the computer and changed the background from a picture of a Husky to the one of her and Ward in front of the statue of Athena at the Parthenon. So far it was her favourite. It was the one that he looked most relaxed and comfortable in.

She saw Ward move in the bed in her periphery and turned to look. He was sweating again and thrashing in the bed. She stopped what she was doing and went over to try and soothe him, which only made him thrash harder. When he hit her in the jaw she climbed on top of him to try and restrain his hands. He struggled against her for a few seconds before waking with a start and sitting bolt upright, almost dislodging Skye.

He drew some very shaky breaths while Skye, still straddling his lap stroked the side of his face.

"It's ok. You're ok. It was just a dream." Skye told him trying to stop the shaking.

"How long have you been sat on me?" he asked her throatily.

"Minute or so. Do you want to talk about it?"

Ward shook his head. Skye looked at the man before her and, yet again pulled his head onto her shoulder. She felt him take a few steadying breaths against her collarbone.

"You are still burning up." Skye told him feeling the heat erupting from his face.

Ward started coughing so he pulled his head off Skye's shoulder. She climbed off his lap, stood by the end of the bed and rubbed his back with one hand and finally massaging her sore jaw.

"I hit you didn't I?" Ward asked her when his coughing fit subsided, watching her as she rubbed her jaw.

"It doesn't matter." Skye told him. "Drink this."

Skye thrust another bottle of juice and a straw into his hand, which he sipped.

"We need to move." Ward told her.

"We aren't going anywhere until you're well."

* * *

"So where are we headed?" Skye asked Ward five days later when he was well enough to travel.

"We need to get to San Diego to cross the border into Tijuana where I have a boat. But we need to pick up more supplies and another box in Palm Springs."

"Why? We have enough money to last a while and we have some clothes and everything."

"We are going to need some new passports, and I want my stars."

"Alright. According to google, Palm Springs is a 24 hour drive away. So if we aim to stay in El Reno in Oklahoma tonight and then Albuquerque and then stay in Phoenix before we arrive in San Diego via Palm Springs." Skye said, consulting Google.

"Means we'll be in the car for about five or six hours a day." Ward told her.

"How do you know that?"

"I have more talents than people know."

"Ok then. We can split the driving between us and do three hours a day, stopping for lunch to change."

"Sounds like a plan, so where are we headed first?"

"El Reno. Stopping in Henryetta for lunch."

"As long as I don't have to eat another burger I'm good!"

"But the challenge." Skye pouted.

Ward wanted to argue, but Skye had taken care of him so well during his illness that he conceded defeat.

"Fine. But I'd rather try some of yours and eat something a little smaller." Ward reasoned.

Skye looked at him.

"Fine." Skye agreed, but only because it would mean Ward would eat something.

* * *

"NO WAY! There's a carnival in El Reno?" Skye asked excitedly.

"No." Ward told her in a flat voice.

"I didn't ask anything." Skye pouted.

"You were about to ask if we can go."

"No I wasn't."

"Skye."

"Just an hour."

"Skye."

"Alright, I want to go to the Carnival. I've never been to one."

"No."

"Pleeeaaaaasssseeeee?" Skye begged.

"No."

Skye took her eyes off the road and stuck her bottom lip out at him. Ward felt his resolve crumble.

"Fine. We can go, but we stick together."


	11. Chapter 11

"AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" Skye screamed as the ride she had dragged Ward onto shot them straight up into the air.

_Click_

"I am so getting a copy of that when we get off here." She shouted as the ride paused at its pinnacle.

"I swear you've got me into more photos this last couple of weeks than I have ever been in my life!" Ward exclaimed as the ride plummeted, making Skye scream again.

It stopped halfway down and climbed back to the top. It continued in this fashion, increasing the drop size, until it dropped all the way to the ground. Ward could hear people being ill on one of the other sides.

"That was fun. What do you want to do next?" Skye beamed at him.

"I do not care. This was your idea."

"You are such a grumpy assed spoil sport."

"I am a tactician and this is not a good place to hang out when you have people trying to kill you."

"They aren't going to find us here, so just chillax. Ooh! Roller coaster!" Skye told him, gripping his hand and dragging him over to the line.

"Skye, you do realise we are going to have to get more than close for this ride?" Ward asked her, looking at how people were seated.

"We're both grown up. I'm sure we can manage." She told him with an evil grin, seeing that when pairs were sat in the cars, the girls were sat almost on top of the boys.

Ward rolled his eyes and stepped forward in the queue.

When it was their turn Ward stepped forwards and hesitantly got into the car, before Skye climbed in on top of him. The attendant snapped the secure bar into position and they were off.

Skye giggled and laughed as they flew around the ride, while Ward stayed quiet and was trying to divert his attentions away from the woman in his lap.

Suddenly, Skye started coughing.

"You ok?" he asked her, concerned, as they were halfway round the ride with no way of stopping.

"Yeah!" Skye croaked. "I think I swallowed a bug."

That was enough to make Ward laugh, just in time for another camera to go:

_Click._

Ward groaned into Skye's hair. He hoped that no one would ever see these pictures, but he had a feeling that they would.

The ride pulled into the exit station and Skye was helped out of the car.

Ward stumbled out and shook his legs, trying to get the feeling back into them. A combination of Skye sitting on him and being stuck in a small cart had made them quite numb.

"Pleeeaaassseee can we get the photos?" Skye asked pouting.

"If you must." Ward told her. She happily waltzed off towards the photo booth and selected the photo she wanted. Ward caught up to her and paid for it.

"Ferris Wheel next." He told her.

"What is it with you and heights?" She asked him.

"For starters there's no cameras."

Skye playfully punched him.

"Sorry!" She hissed through clenched teeth as she saw Ward's face crease. She had hit him on his stitches.

"You, me, Ferris Wheel, Now."

* * *

"So come on. What is it about this you love? Skye said as they swung in the bucket, reaching the top of the wheel.

"Have you ever been on one before?"

Skye shook her head.

"When we reach the top you'll see."

"See what?"

"Wait for it."

Their bucket reached the top of the wheel and paused as some people got off the wheel and some more got on. Skye let out a gasp of breath. She could see the lights of the towns spreading for miles.

"I feel like I'm on the top of the world." She whispered.

"This is why I like it. The view."

"Ok, you may have just changed my mind."

"About what?"

"Preferring to keep my feet on the ground."

"I don't somehow think you've ever had your feet on the ground!" Ward laughed, earning another punch off Skye.

"My feet have always been on the ground, you know, except when they're not."

"Cryptic."

* * *

"Skye. They're closing." Ward called as Skye tried to fit in one more ride.

"But we haven't..." Skye complained, pointing to a ride.

"We did. Twice. Now come on. Let's get out of here."

"I see Mr. Grumpy's back."

"I said we could stay an hour, that was six hours ago. And I won you that damned teddy. By the way. Good luck carrying that when we head out on foot."

"I'll find a way."

"Coulson will never let you keep it. Not even if you bat your eyelids at him." Ward countered before Skye even had a chance to fight back.

They walked out of the carnival and headed back towards their motel. They had chosen it specifically so they would be able to walk to the carnival that night.

"Thank you Ward. I had a really good time."

"So did I. It's been a while since I've done that."

"How long?"

"Before my sister left."

"That long?"

"Yes Skye, that long."

They reached the door to their room and Ward let them in.

"I'm going to go and shower some of this Carnie grime off me. If you wish to sleep in the bed tonight, I suggest you do the same." Ward told Skye as she dumped the teddy and mountains of photos on the table in their room.

"How am I supposed to shower if you're in it?" She called at his retreating back.

"Wait ten minutes and I'll leave the water running." He called back.

Ten minutes later Ward emerged from the bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist and hair glistening with water to find Skye looking through the new photos that she had accumulated of the two of them together.

"Did you see this one?" She asked.

"No."

"You need to express yourself more." She told him.

Ward peered over her shoulder at the photograph.

"You need to realise if you screw your eyes up all the time you'll miss stuff." He argued.

"I blinked!"

"Of course you did. Shower's free."

Skye headed to the bathroom, removed her clothes and stepped into the shower, screaming almost immediately.

"What?" Ward asked, bursting in.

"How the hell can you stand the shower so freaking cold?"

"I'm cold blooded." Ward jested, before sticking his hand in and turning the temperature up.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thankyou to everyone who has helped me reach 100 followers! Here is the next chapter - but as Christmas approaches I am finding myself so full of Christmassy stuff to do and won't find much time to write so updates may take a few days :(**

**But when I can I will :)**

* * *

"So this is Palm Springs?" Skye asked, looking around to see nothing but dessert.

"It is."

"Are we in California or Nevada?" She asked. She always got confused over its location.

"You mean you don't know this already?"

"I am not a walking encyclopaedia!"

"No, but _you_ planned the trip."

"I may have planned the trip, doesn't mean I know what state I'm in!" She argued.

"California." Ward told her.

"So Palm Springs is in California?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I always thought it was in near Vegas."

"Well if it makes you feel better, we're closer to Vegas than we are New York right now."

"Funny."

Ward led Skye to a stationary store. He walked up to a PO Box and, pulling out his keys again, opened it and emptied it of all the letters and packages that it contained.

"What the hell?" Skye asked him. She was confused.

"I'll tell you when we get back into the car." Ward told her in a quiet voice. He wanted to be able to use this box again if he needed to.

He zipped up the bag and they went back to their car. He unlocked the doors and both he and Skye climbed in.

"You aren't going to tell me are you?" Skye asked as Ward started the engine.

"I will. Just not here."

He shifted the car into drive and set off along the road, heading towards a quiet spot he knew of where he could open the parcels.

"So what's in them?"

Ward tossed her an envelope before tearing his own open. Skye saw it contained Mexican Pesos.

She thumbed the envelope he handed her and tore it open. Eight shiny spiked wheels fell into her palm.

"Throwing stars." He told her.

"What do you do with them?"

"Throw them."

"You any good?"

"It's one of my hidden talents."

"You'll have to show me some time. What else you got?"

It transpired that Ward had filled the box with money in differing currencies, weapons and passports.

"Ward, why do you have a fake passport for me?" Skye asked him unnerved.

"When I was assigned to the team I created passports for everyone just in case we needed to disappear."

"And this is mine?"

"Yeah. I left everyone else's in the box."

"That makes me feel better. I thought you were going to kidnap me or something."

"I did. Twice."

"Oh yeah." Skye said, remembering.

"Come on. Let's get to San Diego."

"Why are we stopping in San Diego? Why not go through to Mexico?"

"Easier to get lost if we're on foot."

"I hope we don't get lost."

"I meant, blending into the background lost."

"Oh."

"Put the stuff into the bag." Ward told her, tossing the bag over to her in the passenger seat. "Not those."

Ward took the throwing stars off her and put them in his pocket.

"Good idea. Easily accessible if you need them."

* * *

"It's so damn hot." Ward said, wiping his brow.

"It's Mexico."

"It's Mexico during a heatwave."

"Can we stop for a drink?" Skye asked him, panting.

"I told you not to bring all that." He told her, pointing at the giant stuffed bear tied to her rucksack and the roll of clothes she had attached to the bottom of it as there was no room in her sack due to the copious amounts of photos she had collected.

"Leaving them behind would be like erasing memories." Skye pouted.

"You don't need loads of junk to remember things."

"I bet you only have a bed in your place don't you?"

Ward led her over to a cafe and indicated she should sit down.

"Not exactly."

"Then what?"

"I don't have a place." Ward admitted, to Skye's horror.

"You don't have a place?" she asked.

"No. I moved around too much for work. Closest I ever got was this safe house we're headed to. It has a bed and a few other things, but I set it up years ago and haven't been there since."

"What can I get you?" the waitress asked, appearing by their side.

"Two lemonades please." Ward told her. She jotted it down on her pad and went back inside.

"I wanted chocolate milkshake."

"Seen as though you don't drink anything else I kind of gathered, but we are in Mexico. Don't drink milk you don't know the source of, don't drink water out of the faucet without boiling it first, and don't eat probiotic yoghurts." Ward told her.

"Why?"

"Unless you want to miss meeting your father because you can't get off the toilet."

"Oh! I get it." Skye said, cottoning on.

The waitress arrived and brought their drinks over.

"Mmmmm. This is amazing." Skye murmured as she sipped her drink.

"And more refreshing in this heat than milkshake." Ward pointed out.

"Do we need to get anything before we go to your thingy?"

"Some food and water."

"You don't have running water?"

"It does have water, but again, we are in Mexico."

"Oh yeah. Can we get some suncream too? I feel like I'm boiling here."

"Good call. Maybe some aftersun too."

"And books."

"Why do you want books?" Ward asked puzzled.

"We don't know how long it's going to take to get in touch with my father. If we have some books we can pass the time."

"Ok. We can get some books too."

Skye slapped her arm.

"And some mosquito repellent." Ward laughed.

They finished their lemonades and Ward led Skye to the boat he had secured a few years previously and put their things in while they went shopping, returning a few hours later laden.

"I am _so _glad you let me dump the other stuff first."

"You won't be thanking me when we get there. It's a two hour hike from the jetty to the house."

"WHAT?" Skye screamed.

"I did try and warn you to pack light."

"But, but." Skye stuttered.

"I'm sure we can borrow some sack wheels when we get there."

"Borrow borrow or car borrow?"

"Car borrow."

Ward fired up the engine of the boat, and trusting Skye not to do anything stupid, tugged the rope off the dock and threw it onto deck.

"Which way?" She asked.

"Off the chair. This is one journey I'm navigating."

Skye stuck out her bottom lip, but seeing Ward's look she quickly stopped.

Within the hour she looked back the way they had come and she could just about make out mainland Mexico. Looking forwards she could barely make out a small mound of land.

"Where are we?"

"We are in the North Pacific Ocean."

"Where are we headed?"

Ward stayed quiet.

"What's up?"

"I trust you, you know that. But I can't tell you where we're headed. Coulson has ways of getting truth out of people."

"I would never tell."

"You wouldn't know if you did." Ward told her.

"I can tell him you took me to, name a country in South America."

"Honduras."

"I will tell him you took me there, blindfolded."

"Fine. I have another safe house I can use if I have to, but it's not as stable."

"So where are we going?"

"We are headed to a small island called Isla Guadalupe. It's about two hours by boat. No other access. The jetty is on the south west, the house is to the North West."

The island became bigger and bigger as they approached it. Ward skilfully guided the boat into the jetty and Skye jumped off to secure it.

Ward went off to source a set of wheels that they could use to transport their kit and returned with a trolley.

Skye stood on the boat and threw everything out to Ward, who quickly stacked it in the trolley. When she jumped down next to him, Ward tied a tarp over it and took hold of one of the handles.

"Follow me." He said, tugging on the trolley to make it move.

They walked down a dirt track, Skye pushing the trolley from behind on the steep, rocky bits.

"What are you thinking?" She puffed, as she shoved with all her weight.

"I'm thinking it's a good job my arm's healing or we'd be looking at the car all over again."

"Really? I was thinking that this is a good way to burn off all those burgers."

"That too."

With one final heave, the trolley made it over the rough ground.

"Let's take a break." Ward suggested, looking at Skye and sitting down next to the trolley.

She looked like she was about to burst a blood vessel.

"I agree." She said, dropping into the sand next to him.

Ward stuck his hand under the tarp and, after a minute of rummaging, pulled out two small bottles of water. He threw one to Skye.

"Thanks." She said, gratefully. "Hold on. Let me see that arm."

"It's nothing."

"It's bleeding." She told him, getting up and walking over to him to inspect.

"I may have split the scab a little, but it's healing."

"Let me see." She demanded, lifting his sleeve.

She saw that he was right. He had split the scab with the exertion of pulling the trolley and it was weeping, rather than bleeding.

"I'm going to dress that."

"It's not bleeding."

"No, but in this heat it could get infected." Skye pointed out, trying to find the first aid kit in the trolley. She found it and quickly wiped the wound free of weeping blood and sticking a dressing over it.

"You ready to go?" He asked her

Skye nodded and went back to push the trolley.

Eventually they made it to Ward's safe house. It looked to be a ramshackle hut built onto the rock face.

"That's it?" Skye asked him sceptically.

"Sure is."

"It's a hut." Skye pointed out.

"What did you expect? A palace?"

"You said you had a jet here."

"Will you just go inside?"


	13. Chapter 13

"Oh My God! It worse!" Skye squealed as she navigated hey way around the spiders crawling on the floor.

"You really think so?"

"From the outside it at least looks like you have a _roof_!" she told him, looking up at the hole in the ceiling.

"Ok, so it might need some work doing to it."

"_Some?"_ Skye shrieked. She was starting to get hysterical.

"Come on. I'll show you the rest."

"I don't think I want to see the rest. God only knows what going to be crawling over your freaking bed!"

Ward ran his hands around a picture above the fireplace, pulling it towards him when he found the button to release it.

Behind it was a set of leads.

"What are those?" Skye asked, shocked by the rather lavish trim to the hut.

"ECG cables."

"Why are they hidden behind a painting?"

""Watch." Ward told her, placing the leads to his chest.

Immediately Skye could hear Ward's heartbeat, clear and strong, but she could place where the sound was coming from. Then she heard what sounded like an admittance beep and the bookcase next to the fireplace swung back, _into_ the rocks that formed the back wall.

"Where else would I keep a jet?" Ward asked, indicating Skye should head through the gap first before pushing the trolley through and closing the bookcase behind him.

Skye walked down a narrow corridor before emerging in what looked like a grand hall with a sweeping staircase to the upper floor. She also noticed the temperature of the room was far cooler than it had been up top. Ward pulled the trolley into the cavernous room and stopped.

"How did you do it?" Skye asked in awe.

"I enlisted a couple of locals to help while I wasn't here and they dug out the rock. They've passed on now, but they did some fine work."

"Did you kill them?"

"No. They hit a reef on their way to the mainland and drowned. I added all of the security features."

"Like that ECG?"

"Exactly like that. Come on. I'll show you round."

Ward led her up the stairs and to the end of the corridor. He opened a door and showed her inside.

"This can be yours." He said to her.

"Where will you sleep?"

"Next door."

"If this was a safe house why do you have two rooms?"

"In case I needed to extract Hailey too." Ward told her, opening the door so Skye could see into his room.

From there he showed her the bathroom, kitchen, dining room, sitting room, and computer room, come library.

"You could have told me I didn't need to get any books." Skye moaned as she saw the longest wall was dedicated, floor to ceiling with books. It even had a ladder to reach the top shelves

"Let's see if we can get a message to your father without getting killed." Ward suggested, turning the computer system on.

Skye used her hips to move Ward out of the way and started tapping.

"Where do you want to send it?" She asked, tapping away.

Ward fished a piece of (what was now a very crumpled and smudged) piece of paper out of his pocket.

Skye entered the details and hit send.

"If he's out there he'll get it, but I've locked all your back doors and bounced the message around the world. If anyone comes looking, the White House is going to get a shock. What now?" She asked.

"Now we wait, and maybe unpack that trolley before I trip over it." Ward told her.

He went back to the hall and removed the tarp from the trolley. He gathered some of the items up and put them away in the kitchen, before repeating the process for the bathroom and his bedroom.

"Is it safe to go outside and sit in the sun?" Skye asked. While he had been putting everything away, she had showered and changed into a bikini.

"Yeah. Just make sure if you leave the bookcase open a little. If you see anyone, come back inside immediately and close it behind you."

"What are you going to do?

"Make sure the jet still works."

"What do I do if I get locked out?"

"Take refuge in the shack and I'll come get you."

* * *

"Skkkkyyyeee." Ward said, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Hmph!"

She swatted his hand away.

"Skye. You need to wake up."

"Leave me alone!" She murmured in her sleep.

Realising that Skye would be difficult to wake up he dropped his hand and headed towards her feet before tickling her on the sole of her right foot.

"AArrrggghh!" She yelled as she bolted upright from her sleep. "What did you do that for?"

"You've been out here for a while, I thought I'd come and check on you, maybe bring you a bottle of water to stop you dehydrating."

"I'm fine."

"You won't notice until you get inside. You're also burnt, which is going to hurt later on."

Skye's stomach rumbled.

"Come on. I'll make you something to eat."

"You, cooking? Now this I have to see!" Skye said, laughter dancing in her eyes as she got off the lounger and headed back inside.

"I'm a good cook I'll have you know." Ward pointed out, following her.

* * *

"Mmm. This is so good." Skye muttered through her food.

"See. I told you I could cook." Ward pointed out.

"How come you never cooked like this before?" Skye complained.

"We didn't really have the facilities on the bus for cooking."

"Oh my God! I think I'm having a foodgasm." Skye groaned, making Ward laugh.

"It's only lasagne."

"I know. But it's the Best. Damn. Lasagne I've ever had."

Ward raised his eyebrows as he noticed Skye start to scratch her chest through the t-shirt she was now wearing.

"You ok?"

"Yeah. Skin feels like it's on fire though."

"That's why it's called Sunburn. You better put some aftersun on when you've finished eating."

"I looked in the bathroom earlier. I couldn't find it. We must have left it on the boat."

"Or I could have put it on ice in the fridge." Ward chuckled

"Why the hell would you put it in the fridge?"

"The cold from it being chilled cools the burn better."

"You have experience in this? You don't look like you burn easy."

"My sister is a redhead remember! I have plenty of experience with sunburn." Ward said, disappearing into the kitchen and returning a couple of minutes later with an ice cold bottle of aftersun in his hand. He placed the bottle on the back of her neck, making her jump out of her skin.

"Wow! That's cold!" She squealed

"No way. Really?"

Skye looked at him, took the bottle off him and put it next to her before resuming eating.

"How was the jet?" she asked through a mouthful of lasagne.

"Working."

"So we could take off at a moment's notice?"

"We could, but we haven't heard anything yet."

Skye couldn't quite hide the disappointment in her face.

"I'm sure we'll hear something soon." Ward soothed her, picking up his plate and heading to the kitchen to wash it before going to bed.

* * *

_Click_

Ward heard his door open and soft feet padding towards him. He heard her walk round to the side of the bed she had been sleeping on, felt her pull the covers back and the mattress dip as she climbed in next to him. He heard the rustle that indicated she had pulled the covers back up and immediately felt the warmth irradiating from the sunburn to her skin.

"Skye. We now have our own rooms. What are you doing in my bed?"


	14. Chapter 14

"I couldn't sleep." Skye told him, rolling over to face him.

"So you come in here?"

"I figured that it was because I'd got used to you being there."

"OK. Even bigger question. Why are you in your underwear?" Ward asked her as he adjusted his body position and brushed his leg against hers in the process.

"It's the sunburn. It hurts to wear clothes." She told him.

Realising his resolve would crack if he stayed in his current position Ward shuffled closer to the edge of the bed and rolled so his back was to her.

"Goodnight Skye."

"Night Ward."

* * *

The following morning Ward woke first. At first he didn't realise where he was, then he remembered that he and Skye had made it to the safe house.

Skye.

He looked down to find Skye had migrated closer to him in the middle of the night and was now using his injured arm as a pillow, her hot breath tickling his arm. He could feel the heat still coming off her sunburnt skin.

Groaning, he attempted to extract his eye from under her head without waking her, but failed. Just as he made it to his wrist she began to stir.

"Morning." He said to her.

"Morning. What do you have in your pillows? Rocks?" she asked him, turning onto her back to look up at him.

"Well if you give me my arm back you can find out." Ward told her, nodding at the fact that she was laid on it.

"So that's why it's so firm."

"Probably."

Skye lifted her head allowing Ward to remove his arm. He walked across the room and pulled a shirt out of a drawer. She watched his muscles ripple as he pulled it over his head.

She suddenly felt far too naked in his company and was looking around the bed to find something to cover her body.

"You get dressed while I go and cook breakfast." Ward told her, not looking at her and heading out of the door.

Thankful Ward had left Skye pulled back the covers, got out of the bed and crept to the door. She opened it a crack and checked the corridor to make sure Ward had left. Seeing he had she bolted from his door to hers and flew through it. She flopped down onto the bed and laid there.

"What the hell was I thinking?" she chastised herself.

* * *

"You took your time." Ward told Skye as she entered the kitchen.

"I needed a shower. Did you put the aftersun back in the fridge?"

"I did. Top shelf but the eggs are now done." He told her as he stirred the pan of eggs.

"I'll do it after breakfast." Skye told him, taking a seat at the breakfast bar and allowing Ward to serve her a generous portion of eggs and toast.

"I've checked the computer. There's no sign of a reply yet."

"How long do we wait?"

"As long you want. Personally I'd give him a couple of weeks."

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Skye asked. Two weeks was a long time to wait and do nothing.

"We could train?" Ward suggested.

"I don't think I could. It hurts to walk, move and generally wear clothes."

"We can hold off until you can, but until then we can read, talk, I can try teach you a language."

"Which one?"

"French."

"Why French?"

"It's easier than Russian."

"French it is."

* * *

After breakfast Skye helped Ward clean up and he helped put suncream on her back before heading towards the study.

"Where do we start?"

"How much do you know?"

"Uno, Dos, Treis, Quattro, Cinquo."

"That's not quite French. To count to five try un, deux, trios, quatre, cinq."

Skye repeated the numbers.

They spent the entire morning with Ward teaching Skye basic French. By lunch she could not only count to 20, but say 'hello, my name is Skye' and drop your gun or I'll shoot.

* * *

"I have a headache." Skye moaned as Ward handed her a bottle of water.

"We've covered a lot."

"Can't we eat?"

"Sandwich?"

"A sandwich?"

"You clearly forgot that I make a mean sandwich." Ward teased her.

"Clearly. You'll have to remind me."

Ward closed the book they were using for a reference text and led Skye back to the kitchen.

"Can we eat it outside like a picnic?" She asked him.

"Sure, just make sure you get everything you want."

Skye went around the kitchen getting everything she wanted for lunch and placing it in a box while Ward made a sandwich for each of them, wrapping them and also placing it in the box.

He picked it up and Skye returned to the kitchen with a bottle of suncream.

"Thought it might be a good idea." She said, adding it to the box.

Ward led her down the corridor to the book case and pushed at it with his foot. It opened smoothly and soon he was out in the stiflingly hot air.

Skye followed him before overtaking him in the hut and leading him outside to the lounger she had fallen asleep in the previous day. Ward put the box down in the middle of it.

Skye rummaged around in the box and pulled what looked like a bed sheet out of it and shook it out onto the floor. Slowly she unpacked the box and made herself comfy. Ward joined her on the sheet and took a bite out of his sandwich.

* * *

"Ward! WARD!" Skye yelled from the computer room. Ward rushed in from the kitchen to see what the problem was.

"What?" He asked after realising she was fine.

"We have a response to the message. Next Thursday, midday. Location of our choosing."

"Send a message back and agree on Providence. We need to get there Wednesday and plan escape routes and exit strategies."

"Why?"

"You will realise doing this job that Justin is your best friend." Ward told her

"Justin?"

"Just-in Case. If you always have a backup plan just in case then you will always get out alive."

"Oh I see."

Ward spent the next week teaching Skye French and reading. Skye was still insisting on sharing his bed, claiming it was comfier than her, but she had started sleeping with more clothing on. Ward was doing all the cooking while Skye did all the cleaning. The one time she had offered to cook she had given them both food poisoning.

Skye made Ward stick to his word and they spent two hours every morning before breakfast working out. He had even shown her how good he was with the throwing stars. She would shout targets out to him and he would throw them at the targets, hitting each one with precision.

It was now Wednesday and Ward was flying them to the former Providence safe house.

"You nervous?" he asked Skye, realising she was being very, very quiet.

"Yes. I don't know this man. All I know is he is a homicidal monster and death and destruction follow him wherever he goes."

"He's not going to hurt you."

"It's not me I'm worried about. I'm worried what he's going to do to the others to force me to do things for him."

"He won't touch them."

"How can you be so sure?"

"A gut feeling." Ward reassured her.

He landed the jet in the hangar of the base, electing to keep it in stealth mode.

"If we keep the door open we can see where it is." He told her.

"Why do we need to keep it in stealth mode anyway?" Skye asked.

"If things go south we have an escape route." Ward told her, nodding at the invisible plane.

"So all we do now is wait?" Skye asked him.

"And make plans."

"Like?"

"Like what happens if Hydra attack, or SHIELD, or even if your father thinks I'm a threat to a relationship with you."

"Well if SHIELD attack its easy. Tie me up, stick something over my head and you get the hell out of here." Skye told him.

"But..."

"There are no buts. I owe you for this ride. I won't tell Coulson anything."

"If Hydra attack get to the plane and hide. I will distract them and meet you there, but you'll have to fire up the engines to make a quick getaway."

"I can do that. And if my father attacks?"

"If he attacks me then you can either let him kill me or shoot him and we follow the plan for Hydra. If he attacks you I will shoot him and we get the hell out of here."

"What happens after we get out of here?"

"I take you back to Coulson."

"Straight away?" Skye asked.

"Depends on what state we're in getting out of here. Not to mention the time. We need to find a room that's far enough away from the door to be safe from attack, but close enough to the hangar to run." Ward told her.

"I know just the room." She said, taking him by the hand and leading him to the room where they had shared a passionate kiss.

"Perfect." Ward said, smiling as he remembered the last time he had been in the room.

"What will you be doing while I meet my father?" Skye asked. She wanted him nearby, but thought that it would be more awkward if he was in the room.

"I will be next door monitoring the cameras, trying to spot any pending attacks."

"Can I contact Coulson?"

"Sure, just don't tell him where you are."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Happy New Year everyone! All the best for 2015!**

* * *

"Eurgh" Ward moaned as he opened his eyes and stretched out "I hate sleeping in chairs. They always screw up my neck."

"So why did you do it?"

"Didn't mean to."

Ward tilted his head from side to side, trying to crack it.

"Want some help?" Skye asked, watching him with interest.

She walked over to him, ran her hand across his shoulder and moved around so she was facing his back.

"How do I do this?" She asked.

"One arm around the front of my neck, the other across the front and up the other side of my head, then gently pull backwards and to the opposite side that you're holding." Ward told her.

Skye did as he instructed and wrapped her arms around his neck. She slid her right hand up the side of his face and when she felt her hands were in the right place she pulled his head towards her and felt the top of his spine offer some resistance.

She returned his head to its natural position before attempting it once again with a little more force behind it.

It still didn't go.

"What time are we expecting him?" Skye asked.

"Later this afternoon I think."

"So we have a bit of time to kill?"

"What are you thinking?"

"I was thinking of transferring those photographs across onto USB."

"Didn't you already do that?"

"No. That was yours. I'm putting them on mine, at least then I can look back on them too."

"Ok, you can do that while I map out escape routes."

Skye pulled Ward's head back once more and felt something in his neck give.

"Aaaahhhhh." He moaned in relief, while Skye cradled his head against her body.

"I take it that's better?"

"You have no idea!"

* * *

Skye went to the room where she knew she would find the computers. Choosing one to use, she made sure to disconnect it from the network so she wouldn't alert Coulson to her whereabouts.

Skye inserted the USB device from Ward's keys into a slot on the computer, before inserting her own. Ward had given her one out of his Palm Spring box that to the untrained eye looked just like a keychain, but on closer inspection was a USB drive.

She scrolled through the pictures for the hundredth time. She got to the ones of the carnival that she had made Ward get for her. While they were at the safe house she had used the scanner he had acquired and transferred them all to digital and put them on his stick.

She got to the one where Ward was laughing, noticing how much younger he seemed when he was more care free. She tried to recall what she had said to bring the laugh out of him, but couldn't.

"Ward? Do you remember what I said when this picture was taken?" She called out of the room to him when she heard him clatter against something in the corridor outside.

He stuck his head through the door.

"Which one?" he asked.

Skye moved the screen as much as she could so he could see it.

"That one I was laughing because you started coughing after swallowing a bug."

"Well that explains _my_ face." Skye said, trying to hide the blush creeping into her face.

* * *

"I can't do this." Skye said as she started pacing the room.

"You can. If it helps I can go meet him at the door and bring him into here." Ward reassured her.

"I can't do it." Skye said, pushing past Ward to the door.

A buzzer went off and they heard the sound of a rifle shooting a single shot.

"It's too late. Do you want me to go and meet him?"

Skye, face as white as the snow outside, nodded and sat on the sofa while Ward left the room.

He traipsed the corridors to the entrance he had told Skye's father to come to. He scanned the cameras to make sure he was there alone and when Ward decided he was he opened the door and let him in.

"Where is she?"

"Calm down Cal, she's here."

"Where?"

"I'll take you to her. She's just trying to calm her nerves a little."

"She's nervous?"

"Wouldn't you be?" Ward said, using his arm to indicate which way he wanted Skye's father to go.

"There is no need for her to be nervous around family."

"You aren't her family. You are only her father by DNA."

Ward found himself pinned up to the wall by his throat, feet inches off the floor.

"_I am her family._" Cal growled.

"She chose her family." Ward croaked fighting Cal's tight grip.

"And when I get rid of them I will be the only family she has left to turn to."

"Yeah, but you kill me now and you'll never find her."

Cal dropped Ward who massaged his throat before picking himself up off the ground.

"And I will tell you this. You touch a hair on Coulson's head, or the rest of his team for that matter, and you will lose her forever." Ward warned him, leading him down a carefully planned route to the room where Skye was waiting.

"Wait here." Ward told him, entering the room and closing the door in his face.

"Skye?" he called.

There was no answer, but he could see the back of her head on the sofa.

He walked towards her, being careful to stay in her eyeline.

"Skye, you ok?"

She nodded her head, her face now looking rather green instead of pale.

Ward held out her hand and when she took it he pulled her to her feet. She surprised him when she wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him into a hug.

Getting over the shock, Ward wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her entire body in reassurance.

"You'll be ok. I will be down the hall monitoring the cameras. Remember to show me the 'I'm in trouble' signal and I will come running." He whispered, letting her go and heading for the door.

He glanced back at Skye before opening it.

"She's ready for you." Ward told Cal, stepping back to let him in before leaving the room and closing the door.

He hurried down the corridor to the surveillance room and settled in watching the exterior cameras, glancing at the camera covering Skye every now and then to see how she was doing. He felt that by watching it he would be invading her privacy as well as leaving their perimeter undefended.

* * *

Ward watched the cameras for around an hour. He glanced at the one covering Skye and had seen that for every step towards her Cal took, she took one away from him. She was clearly still nervous.

A beeping drew his attention away from Skye and her father and back to the perimeter of the base.

"Crap!" he shouted, racing for the door.


	16. Chapter 16

Skye was looking at her father. She wasn't quite sure what to make of him and when he tried to touch her she flinched, making him back off a little looking stung.

Suddenly Ward burst through the door.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Skye yelled.

"Protocol B" Ward told her.

"I'm sorry. I have to..." Skye told Cal, pointing past him to the door.

"By all means." Cal told her moving out of her way.

Once Skye had left the room Ward spoke up.

"I knew you'd lead Hydra here."

"They want your head, I want my daughter. It seemed like a fair trade."

Ward looked at Cal and ran for the door.

Making sure Cal wasn't following him he headed for the hangar. Skye was stood outside, unable to get in, but working on it.

"You keep working on the lock. I'll keep our guests entertained." Ward told her.

"How did they find us?" She asked him, clearly panicked.

"Daddy dearest." Ward told her, loading his gun and putting his throwing stars up his sleeve.

Ward ran to intercept the Hydra agents about to break into the base, while Skye continued to work on the door.

* * *

Three Hydra agents dropped to the floor without ever knowing what had hit them. Ward sneaked past them and picked up the lone throwing star he had aimed with deathly accuracy. On his way to intercept he had thought to turn the security monitors off again, but that meant Hydra had time to infiltrate the perimeter. He was creeping along behind a group of three Hydra agents. He got the first one and had him in a silent coke hold before he had time to react. His body hadn't even hit the floor before Ward reached the next one, again getting him in a choke hold and dropping him to the floor before moving onto the last one in the group.

Just as the man Ward had hold of lost consciousness he looked up in time to see a gun raised towards him and the man holding it pulls the trigger.

Ward had very little time to react. The bullet caught him and tore a gash in his left arm like a knife through butter.

"Gah!" He hissed as it hit him.

Ward slid a throwing star out of his sleeve, glanced down the corridor at the number of assailants he had to face, took aim and threw it.

It bounced off the wall and hit the first guy who dropped immediately. It continued towards the opposite wall where it again bounced off, sending it back across the corridor and into the path of the second man in the line.

Ward watched smiling as his throwing star took out six of the twelve men in the corridor before losing momentum and dropping to the floor. Ward engaged the remaining six men hand to hand before they could figure out what had happened to their friends.

Ward fought fast and brutal. It didn't stop him taking hits himself, but he was strong and he overpowered the men. Knowing he was maybe halfway through the Tactical Assault Team Hydra had sent after him, Ward ran for the hangar and Skye.

He burst through the door and shut it behind him, wedging it shut with a knife, buying them a little more time to get out of there.

He saw the outline of the jet and made a beeline for it.

He was halfway there when something incredibly solid hit him around the middle and sent him flying.

"You think you can take her away from me?" Cal growled as he kicked Ward in the face as he tried to get up off the floor.

Ward was flung onto his back and scrabbled to get away from Cal, just as Cal stomped on the ground where his head had been seconds earlier.

Ward made it to his hands and knees when Cal hit him again, this time in the ribs.

Coughing, Ward rolled away from him to try and get away, but he felt Cal's deathgrip on his injured arm and he felt the pull that flipped him back onto his back. Cal straddled Ward's waist and started punching him rapidly and repeatedly in the face. Only stopping when a bullet passed dangerously close to his nose.

"The next one won't miss." Skye told him, holding the gun steady "Get off him."

Cal picked himself up off Ward and allowed him to get to his feet.

Ward staggered towards Skye, putting his hand on her shoulder as he passed her and headed to the plane.

"You are a monster and a murderer and I _never, ever_ want to see you again." She told Cal, tears forming in her eyes while she backed up to the jet. She caught sight of Ward in the cockpit through the open door and ran up the stairs. The second she was on board, Ward closed the hatch and hit multiple buttons in front of him, setting the plane in motion and opening the hangar door.

"You ok?" Skye asked him tenderly as she took the spare seat in the cockpit.

"Why?" Ward asked, his voice sounding a little distant.

"Why what?"

"Why are you still here? I mean, you had plenty of chances to run, or hurt me, after all I've kidnapped you twice."

"There was a reason behind it. And besides, if I had let you die how would you fulfill a dead man's wishes? We all make choices, it's just some of them are, a little questionable."

Ward fell silent and adjusted the dials on the dash.

He set a course for their safe house.

"We're six hours out." Ward told her checking the flight plan.

"Why don't we touchdown somewhere? You're bleeding everywhere." Skye suggested.

"Like where?"

"A motel. You could get me a car and while I get you some bandages you can get us a room."

"No need. There's a medical kit in the back." Ward told her.

"I still think we should split the journey. You look like you're about to pass out AND it's getting dark."

"You really want to stop?"

"YES!"

"Find us somewhere we can park a jet." Ward told her, handing her the laptop.

Skye tapped away at the computer before telling Ward to change the flight course to land in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

While Ward landed the plane, Skye went into the back of the jet and located the medical kit before strapping herself into a seat.

When the plane was on the ground Skye helped Ward out of the cockpit and they set off into the night. They found a car which Ward started before attempting to climb into the drivers' seat.

"Oh no you don't! You are in no fit state to drive Mister. Get your ass into the passenger seat." Skye told him. gripping his collar and gently pulling him out of the car.

Ward stumbled around to the passenger side and got in. Skye stuck the car in reverse and backed out of the car parking space, before sticking it into drive and navigating the roads to the Motel she had found on the net.

"Wait here." She said, getting out of the car and heading towards reception.

Skye returned ten minutes later with a room key. She opened the passenger door and helped Ward out of it, before supporting him to their room.

He laughed when he saw the room number.

"Did you ask for this?" he asked Skye, pointing to the door.

"No." She asked, confused and concerned. She was worried that her father had hit him one too many times.

"We were in room 12 for a few days after we crashed the murder car."

"Oh yeah! The one I nursed you back to health in."

"That'd be the one." Ward laughed as Skye released him to open the door.

Ward followed Skye into the room and saw her drop the medical supply kit on the small table, open it and pull out everything she thought she would need.

Feeling sore and exhausted Ward collapsed onto the end of the bed where Skye immediately started swiping at the wounds to his face with an alcohol swab, making Ward flinch as she brushed against his open wounds.

"It's ok. I'm nearly done with the alcohol. Some of these are going to need stitching." She told him, thankful he had taught her how to stitch wounds in the vet's surgery.

Skye threaded a needle and putting it on the towel next to him and picked up some gauze she had placed there. She dabbed one of the cuts again to clear the blood that had reappeared there before picking up the needle and stitching the cut closed. She repeated the manoeuvre on the remaining cuts to his face before moving the towel to the chair next to the table and tugging at Ward's shirt to remove it so she could inspect his ribs for damage.

Ward let her remove his shirt, wincing and letting out a gasp of breath as she pulled it over his head, forcing his arms in the air.

"Did I hurt you?" she asked.

"No. The bullet I got caught by did." Ward told her.

Skye inspected his ribs and found nothing but the feint hint of bruising so she turned her attention to his arm. She sat down on the bed next to him and pulled the chair with her medical kit towards her.

She wiped away the blood and inspected the wound closer.

"It's just a gash." She told him.

"Yeah, I know. I managed to move out of the way."

Skye raised her eyebrows at him.

"Well, I managed to get most of me out of the way." He laughed, wincing as Skye resumed tending to his arm.

She put the alcohol swap down and held gauze to the wound with one hand while picking up the needle with the other. She used the side of her hand to keep pressure on the wound and to move the gauze as she stitched the wound closed.

When she snipped the thread free she picked up a long dressing and smoothed it over it just to offer it a little protection.

"I'm sorry Skye." Ward whispered.

"What for?"

"I didn't mean for _any_ of this to happen. None of it. I screwed up. I told you I was a bad man." Ward said to her, locking his eyes on the pattern on the wallpaper in front of him.

"Stop." Skye ordered him, leaning forwards and taking his hand. "You made some bad choices and now have to live with the consequences. You aren't a bad man for that. I still think you are a good decent man at heart."

"You saved my life. Again."

"I couldn't just _let_ you die."

"Why? I don't deserve to live."

"Same reason I couldn't let you die last time." Skye told him, using her free hand to force him into looking at her "Everyone makes mistakes and deserves a second chance. Coulson got a second chance at life, I betrayed him, May betrayed him and we've both earned our way back into his trust circle. And as for my father, you didn't exactly push me into something I didn't want."

"I didn't mean to hurt Fitz, or Simmons. I needed to get them off the bus or we'd all be dead." Ward told her, trying to pull his head away from her hand, his voice hoarse through emotion.

"I know." Skye let out in a loud whisper.

Ward locked his eyes back on hers at her words and before he knew what was happening Skye pulled him forwards and into a kiss he hadn't experienced since that day in Providence. She pulled away from him and leaned her body towards his. She lifted one of her legs and stretched it out over his lap, straddling him before engulfing his lips with hers again.

They kissed for what felt like a lifetime of bliss when Skye removed her hands from Ward's face reached for the hem of her top, brushing against his jeans as she found it and she started removing it.

Ward placed his hands over hers and pulled away from the kiss.

"Skye, what are you doing?" he asked her, his resolve seriously tested.

"Making a choice." She said, removing her hands from Ward's grip and putting them back onto each side of his face, only removing them and her lips as she allowed Ward to take the hem of her shirt and pull it over her head.

Skye pushed her body closer to his and he slowly lowered himself onto the bed, taking Skye with him, their lips not separating once.


	17. Chapter 17

Ward woke up and immediately knew why he felt different. Firstly, he felt uncomfortable in the lumpy bed. Secondly he could feel Skye's naked body pressed against his, her head snuggled up just above his armpit, her arm dead weight across his chest and her legs entwined with one of his. He could feel her breathing onto his chest and he knew one thing in that moment: He didn't want to move.

Ward stayed laid on his back, relaxing as Skye wriggled against him trying to get into a comfier position. He watched her sleep until she screwed her nose up and moved her arm to rub it, waking up in the process.

"Morning." He said to her softly. He didn't want to freak her out if she was having any regrets over what had happened between them.

"Morning." She replied, moving her hand completely off his chest and using it to push her body up to kiss him.

"We – should – think – about – getting – you – home." Ward murmured in between the kisses Skye was giving him.

"Can't I stay with you a little longer?" she asked, running her hand down his chest.

"I would love nothing more than to say yes." Ward said, moaning longingly as Skye swapped her hand for her mouth.

"But?" she asked, not taking her mouth off his skin and moving lower, sliding the covers away from him.

"But I can't think right now with you doing that." Ward groaned as Skye started to tease him.

"Aww, but I was having fun exploring." Skye groaned as Ward pulled her back up his body a few moments later.

"Yeah, but you are trying to distract me."

"Maybe." Skye pouted choosing to repeat her position of the previous night and placing one leg either side of his and wrapped her arms around his neck and began to play with the short hair at the back of his head.

"I want you to stay, but it's just so dangerous." Ward told her as she wiggled closer to him.

"Going back to Coulson is also dangerous."

"Yes, but Hydra aren't chasing _you._" Ward told her, placing his hand on the side of her face and stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"I don't care." She whispered, enjoying the touch of his hands on her skin and not wanting it to end.

"_I_ do. What happens if you get hurt or worse? How do you think I could live with that knowing it was my fault?" Ward told her, placing his lips on hers and probing at her mouth with his tongue.

She parted her lips and allowed Ward access and she shivered when he ran over her teeth with his tongue.

Skye deepened the kiss and moved her body as close to his as she possibly could.

She could feel him beneath her and immediately she yearned for him.

"I love you." She told him, making Ward look at her in shock.

"I love you too, but for now, we can only have last night."

"And this morning." Skye told him, getting off his lap, tugging at his hand and leading him to the shower.

* * *

"So how do we get in touch with Coulson and how do we do this?" Skye asked Ward as she rubbed her skin dry with a towel.

"We need to go to a new motel near S.H.I.E.L.D and use my credit card. That will alert them to where I am and they will come and get you?" Ward told her, also drying himself off.

"And how do we know Hydra won't be there? And if you're there how do you get away?"

"I will be there watching so I can take them out if it's Hydra. And we will get a room where there is somewhere for me to hide opposite with my sniper rifle."

"You'd have to tie me up and gag me." Skye told him, earning a raised eyebrow. "If I'm alone in the room they will ask too many questions, like why I haven't shot you yet."

"Fair point, and if only they knew the truth." He replied, kissing Skye with a grin on his face.

"Yeah well, I don't plan on telling them any of what happened." Skye admitted , before getting slightly worried Ward wouldn't take her comment well.

"After what I've done to everyone, yeah, I wouldn't admit it either." He chuckled, bending down to find his shirt.

"Hang on. What's that?" Skye asked, throwing her towel onto the chair and inspecting Ward's side with her hands.

"It's just bruising and maybe a cracked rib or two. I'm surprised you've just noticed it." He replied pulling her hands off his side, kissing her and pulling his top over his head before hunting for his pants.

"Why are you getting dressed? It's much more fun to be naked." Skye informed him seductively.

"I don't know about you, but I'm starving so I plan on getting us some breakfast and for that nakedness tends to lead to arrestedness." Ward informed her, sitting on the bed and slipping his legs into his pants and pulling them up.

"Well I am a little hungry"

"Good. I won't be long. While I'm out you can find a motel somewhere near HQ."

* * *

"How long do you reckon it will take them to find me?" Skye asked as she tied the gag around her neck ready to put it in her mouth.

"Maybe an hour." He replied as he locked a pair of handcuffs to either side of the chair, before placing the key very carefully around Skye's neck.

"So we don't even have time to say good bye." Skye complained

"I think we both said a very thorough goodbye this morning. _Twice_." Ward told her, planting a swift kiss on her lips.

"You should go. I don't know if I can sit in a room with you knowing that I'm not going to see you for absolutely ages."

"I should, just so I'm ready for everyone." Ward said kissing her again.

She instinctively lifted her hand and pulled him closer.

"I can't go. I need to cuff you to the chair." Ward said, pulling away from her.

"Gag me, cuff me and leave me. I'll be fine. You need to get out of here."

Skye sat on the chair and allowed Ward to cuff each of her hands and both of her legs to it so she couldn't move.

Hesitantly Ward pulled a tazer out of his pocket and Skye looked at it with wide eyes.

"Just do it." She told him. They had agreed Skye wouldn't have just _let_ Ward cuff her to a chair so he needed to show evidence that he had forced her into it. The safest and most painless way to do so would be to hit Skye with a tazer.

Ward bent down, kissed her yet again on the lips and pulled the gag into Skye's mouth so she would have something to bite into to deal with the electric shock before pressing a button and jabbing into Skye's side.

"I'm sorry" he whispered when he heard the breath escape Skye's mouth.

He let her get her breath back before hitting her with it again.

By the time Ward had finished his assault with the tazer, Skye's eyes had glazed over and she was staring into space.

He knelt down in front of her and lifted her pants leg to reveal her boot. He slipped a cell phone into it.

"In case of emergency. My number is speed dial 1" he told her and she nodded to him that she understood.

He kissed her on the top of her head and headed for the door.

* * *

Ward watched as, a little over an hour later a TAC team approached the motel. Peering through his rifle he saw some faces he recognised, and some he didn't.

He saw Coulson and May approach the manager's office and was satisfied that the TAC team belonged to SHIELD.

He watched as the manager came to the door and pointed Coulson in the direction of their room.

Coulson returned to the van they were using as a base and strapped a bulletproof vest to his chest and loaded his holsters with weapons.

He waved the team towards the room and when they had silently arrived at the door May kicked the door in.

* * *

Skye looked up at the shadows passing window of the room and she suddenly felt scared. What if this was HYDRA coming for her having already taken Ward out?

She saw the shapes stop at the door and there was a deafening silence before the door hit the wall with a bang.

Coulson ran forwards, quickly followed by May and the rest of the TAC team before crouching in front of Skye while the team secured the room.

"Are you ok"? Coulson asked her, pulling the gag out of her mouth.

"I'm ok I think." Skye replied.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know. He tied me up and left me here."

May started trying to pick the handcuffs holding Skye in the chair before Coulson noticed the key hanging around her neck.

"So what happened?" Coulson asked her.

"I don't know. I was locked in the trunk of a car. I don't even know where I am!"

"You were kept in the trunk? Didn't he let you out?" May asked shocked at Ward after he claimed to have feelings for the young brunette.

"He let me out, shoved a bag over my head and dragged me to a room and secured me to a chair every night." Skye told them.

"Did you try to fight back?" May asked, unlocking the final cuff securing Skye to the chair.

"Yeah. That's when he tazed me." Skye answered, taking Coulson's hand to get off the chair, wincing from the tazer jolts Ward have given her.

Coulson pulled her into a hug and Skye let a tear slide down her cheek.

"Let's get you out of here." He said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and guiding her out of the room.

Skye walked down the balcony, feeling slightly guilty about lying to Coulson, but she knew she had to protect Ward.

That's when she saw a red dot appear on the wall in front of her and knew it was Ward's way of letting her know he was there.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Good news! I had never planned to leave it at the last chapter!**

* * *

"Does Skye seem to be acting strange to you?" May asked Coulson as they sat in his office late one night.

"Not really, why?"

"She's seemed different over the last four weeks. I thought it was because of what she'd been through, but she won't talk about it and I'm worried. Who knows what he did to her that she's not telling us about, and judging by the bags under her eyes she hasn't been sleeping."

"Like what? You don't think he forced her into _that_ do you?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"I don't think he's that guy."

"He's not the guy to force a girl, but he can quite easily murder people, shoot planes out of the sky to kill people, drop cargo pods out of planes with supposed friends in it and kill his entire family because he thinks they wronged him? Yeah – he's not a sociopath." May spat at Coulson snarkily.

"I don't think he touched her that way. She has no marks on her other than where he hit her with a tazer. Keep an eye on her all the same." Coulson ordered.

* * *

Skye tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep. She was worried about Ward and missing his warmth in the bed next to her. They may have only been together for a couple of weeks, but, for some reason she couldn't explain, she felt safer when she was curled up in bed with him.

"AAAaaarrrgggghhhhh!" She cried, getting out of bed and heading to the workout room.

Strapping her hands up she started throwing punch after punch at the bag working her body into a sweat. She even practised some of the techniques Ward had taught her at the safe house.

May, having heard Skye creep past her room, was now watching her with fascination. She had never seen Skye work out so early and had never seen her punch this way before.

A nagging feeling crept into her mind when Skye altered her technique slightly, that something was off. May pushed the feeling to one side and went to join Skye working out.

"Tai Chi?" May asked as she got closer.

"Sure."

Skye stopped punching the bag and removed the strapping from her hands before standing next to May and following her through the therapeutic, slow motions of the ancient martial art.

"You ok?" May asked as she twisted her body and slowly moved her arms in front of her.

"I'm fine. Why'd you ask?"

"You seem quieter, are spending more time alone and you look like you've taken a punch to each eye."

"I'm fine." Skye repeated.

The two of them finished the routine and Skye went to shower, bumping into Simmons leaving as she did.

"Oh hey! I was thinking about breaking into the local swimming pool and going for a swim. You in?" Skye asked her, feeling restless, but not wanting to do anything combat related.

"No thanks. Women's time. Maybe next time?"

"Sure." Skye replied, the pit of her stomach dropping to the floor.

She watched Simmons leave down the corridor before rushing into the bathroom, locking herself in a cubicle and pulling the phone Ward had given her out of her shoe. It was the only place she could keep it hidden.

Shakily opened a new message.

'_I need to see you soon. I'm going insane. And I think I made a HUGE mistake._' She typed before hitting send.

She sat on top of the toilet lid, tapping her foot on the ground, anxiously waiting for a reply.

She didn't have to wait long.

'_I want to see you too. I want to hold you and touch you, but it's too dangerous to meet. What mistake?_'

Skye read his reply and her heart sank. She tried once more.

'_I can't talk to the others. They won't understand._'

'_Ok. Sunshine Motel. Tonight. Our Room. Make sure you aren't followed._'

Skye breathed a sigh of relief. Now she had to complete the next task.

Slipping the phone back into her shoe, Skye undid the toilet door, made her way to the showers and took a quick one to wipe the sweat and grime off her body before heading back to her room to change.

Once in some fresh clothes she went in search of Coulson.

She found him in his office.

"Hey Boss! I need to head to the shop for some lady things. Do you need me to get anything else?"

"No thanks Skye. You could ask the others."

* * *

Five minutes later Skye was standing outside the supermarket with a shopping list that included some strange and bizarre requests from the rest of the team.

She could feel someone watching her. She slowly made her way around the shop, stopping at the Pharmacy counter. She passed the Pharmacist a script for Fitz's medication aswell as a folded up note.

The woman on the counter nodded her understanding.

"It will be five minutes. If you wish you can continue with your shopping and return to pick these items up later."

"That will be fine. Thankyou."

Skye continued to make her way around the store picking up all of the items on the list. She paid for them and returned to the pharmacy counter.

"Come around to the side." The woman whispered.

Skye moved to the end of the counter and the woman slipped a small package into her pocket, hidden from view by the counter's display item.

"Can you confirm the recipient's name?" she asked.

"Leopold Fitz." Skye told her.

The woman handed the medication over to Skye, who paid for the two products and left.

* * *

Skye was locked in a toilet cubicle for the second time that day. She put the toilet seat down and sat on the top of it. Shaking she removed the small item from the box and put it on her knee. Digging out the instructions she wanted to make sure she was doing it right before it went wrong and she had to sneak out for another one.

"Ok, this seems pretty straight forward." She thought as she put what she didn't need in her pocket and lifting the toilet lid.

A minute later Skye had cleaned herself up and was timing.

She heard the door open and footsteps approach her stall.

"Skye?" Simmons called "You alright, you've been in there a while."

"I'm ok. Just give me a minute!" Skye replied shoving the object in her hand into her other boot, rolling the toilet roll holder a couple of times and flushing the toilet. She unlocked the door and headed to the sink to wash her hands and for good measure her face.

"You alright? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine. I don't think that Chilli we ate for lunch is quite agreeing with me though." Skye lied.

* * *

Skye crept back to her room and sat down on her bed. It had taken her most of the afternoon to escape Simmons and find a moment to herself. She allowed her body to relax and fall back, but before she could sit up and check there was a knock on the door.

"Skye, you and me were supposed to meet at the gun range." May called, opening the door and heading towards her.

"Sorry. I'm still feeling off from that Chilli." Skye told her.

She had reasoned that it would be much easier to lie if she stuck to the same one.

"Well chop chop. Let's get moving." May said, clapping her hands together and shooing her out of the bed.

May's concern for Skye was growing. Her accuracy on the range hadn't been as good as it usually was, but Skye assured her that it must just be the after effects from their lunch.

* * *

Having excused Skye from the range, May made her way to Coulson office and logged into the cameras and scanned for her.

She found Skye wandering into Vault D.

"What are you doing in there Skye?" she wondered, shifting the cameras from the general ones to the Vault D specific ones.

She saw Skye sat on Ward's old mattress, knees up to her chest and head resting against the wall.

* * *

Skye needed some privacy and she reasoned that the only place she would get some would be the one place no one would think to look.

_Ward's cell._

She made sure no one was following her and she let herself in, before descending the stairs and trudging over to his bed. She sat down on his bed, stretching her legs out over it, before bringing her knees up to her chest. Using her right hand she searched in her boot and pulled out the small white tube she had shoved in there earlier and pulled it out, being careful to avoid the cameras, she looked at it.

Tears welled up in her eyes and her throat choked up with emotion as she stared at the home pregnancy test that read, loud and clear one word:

_Pregnant_


	19. Chapter 19

Skye approached the room silently and quickly. She was nervous. She reached the door to room 12 and put the key in the lock. Turning the key she opened the door slowly and carefully opened the door.

"Ward?" She whispered into the dark room.

The lights were suddenly flicked on the reveal Ward stood in the bathroom doorway, one arm supporting him as he leant against the frame, the other, Skye assumed, was concealing a weapon of some description.

"Skye." He said, smiling at her.

Skye ran to him and threw herself into his arms, linking her legs around his back, her arms around his head and burying her face into his shoulder. She started sobbing.

"Skye. What's the matter?" he soothed, taken by the sudden movement.

That's when he saw the door was still wide open.

He walked over to the bed, placed her on it and went to close it.

"I'm pregnant." Skye blurted just as Ward got his hand on the door.

He spun to face her, skilfully pushing the door closed at the same time.

"What?" He asked, wondering if he had misheard her.

* * *

May had seen Skye creep off base late that night. Intrigued as to where she was going she followed.

When they arrived at the Sunshine Motel May sat off at a distance, watching Skye through the barrel of her sniper rifle. She watched as Skye went into the manager's office, booked a room, took the key and headed to room 12.

May saw her open the door, freeze in the doorway as the lights flicked on revealing the outline of Ward in the bathroom frame. She watched, feeling rather pissed off at Skye for hiding this from her, as Skye ran full pelt towards Ward and jump into his arms.

May pulled a small, yet powerful device out of her pocket and trained it on the room, before lining her rifle up again. Immediately May could hear Ward shuffling around. The device was a strong parabolic microphone, meaning she could hear what was being said between them.

She saw Ward drop Skye on the bed and head for the door.

"Gotcha." She thought, smiling as she lined the sight up on Ward's forehead, gently applying pressure to the trigger and taking a deep breath.

"I'm pregnant."

May immediately released the trigger, the feeling of shock and a small amount of betrayal creeping through her body.

"What?" Ward asked, closing the door and ending the possibility of May putting a bullet through his head.

* * *

Ward stood frozen, looking at Skye.

"I'm pregnant. Simmons said something to me this morning that made me realise I hadn't been visited by Mother Nature since before you took me off the bus. I took a test as soon as I could." Skye explained, pulling the test out of her boot and passed it to Ward.

He sunk down onto one of the chairs.

"Say something." Skye pleaded.

"I don't know what to say Skye. I mean, this is a pretty big thing on both our parts."

"Everybody makes mistakes right." Skye said, hysteria creeping into her voice.

Ward suddenly came to his senses and moved over to sit on the bed next to Skye.

"Everyone makes mistakes." Ward agreed, putting his arm around her and pulling her into his chest where she started sobbing again. "The trick is learning to live with them, so the biggest question is... What to do now?"

"I don't know what to do. It's not like I could go to Coulson and admit I've spent the last month lying to him. They wouldn't understand. None of them." Skye cried, tears running down her face.

"Shhhhhh. We'll think of something."

"I want to come with you." Skye told him.

"That isn't an option and you know that Skye, but whatever else you decide to do I will support you." Ward told her. "But the first thing I need to know is: when was the last time you slept?"

"I think it was that last night we were together, and even then I don't think we did much in the way of sleeping."

"You need to sleep."

"No."

"Yes. Just for a few hours. I'll still be here when you wake up." Ward promised her, lifting her head off his shoulder, placing a gentle kiss on her lips and coaxing her into laying back on the bed.

"I think we have bigger problems than me sleeping!" she told him as he took his weight off her and laid to her side, allowing her to cuddle into him again.

Even as she was protesting, her eye lids were closing. Ward's soft scent of masculinity and security acting like a sleep balm.

He laid stroking her face for a few minutes until he could hear the soft phut-phut of her breathing before drifting into an uneasy sleep himself.

* * *

May was glad she was hadn't pulled the trigger when she heard Skye's bombshell. She was furious. Both with Ward and herself.

How could he have made her do that with him?

What had he done to force her?

How could she have missed it?

But the more she listened to their conversation, the more she came to believe Skye was a willing participant in the activities leading to this point.

She was mildly impressed when Ward made her get some sleep before discussing it further.

Knowing that it might well be several hours before Skye woke up, May put her rifle down and using the microphone as an alarm clock, she closed her eyes and got some rest. She would have gone back to the base, but she wanted to discover what they would do without having to ask Skye about it.

* * *

Ward's eyes sprang open as he felt Skye stir next to him. He rolled onto his side and found she was facing away from him. He could tell she was in some sort of nightmare as she was murmering 'no don't. Please don't take him!' under her breath. Her breathing in itself was incredibly fast.

Gently he woke her up.

"Ward?" She asked confused, panting.

"I'm here. Just like I said I'd be."

"Hold me. Please."

Skye's voice sounded weak and vulnerable and Ward wasted no time pressing his body against hers and wrapping his arms around her once more.

"Bad dream?" he asked her.

"I dreamed that someone was taking our baby." She admitted letting out a sob that made her entire body shudder.

Ward held her tighter.

"I would never let that happen." He whispered in her ear.

Skye sobbed again and turned over in Ward's arms so that she was facing him. She breathed in his scent again.

They just laid there, Ward soothing Skye by running his hand up and down her side.

"So what do I do?" Skye asked him.

"You mean what do _we_ do? I might not be able to be there physically, but I will be there if you need me. And like I said before. Whatever you choose I will support."

"Simplest thing would be is the obvious." Skye said, thinking aloud

"True."

"But then what if this is my, _our_ only chance at this?" Skye pondered, Christian Ward's final words to his brother, resounding in her head.

"When we are free to be us we could think about adoption, fostering or even IVF if we can't."

"What do you know about IVF?" Skye asked giggling.

"More than I'd like to." Ward admitted looking down at the still giggling Skye. "How do you think my sister was conceived?"

"Really? Your sister was a test tube baby?"

"Mhm! But that still doesn't help us does it."

"Not really."

"It would be easier to get rid and pretend it never happened, but it's getting the time to do it. Coulson's keeping me on a short leash. I think he's scared you managed to turn me or something. But then if we go the other way there is so much to think about, not to mention how the hell I would tell the others. I don't think they'd take the news that I'm pregnant by the man that tried to kill everyone very well."

"Whichever way we go, it's not going to be easy. If you decide to terminate I could always kidnap you again and at least I could be with you when it happened." Ward jested, wriggling a little to relieve the cramp setting into his arms.

"That could work!"

"I would get shot! I think a few more days are needed to figure it out. I mean it's not like we don't have time on this."

"So what's the plan? Go back to base and keep lying to Coulson and the others about really happened on our road trip across the country and back again and when the morning sickness kicks in lie about having a stomach bug?"

"Sounds like a plan for the time being, until we can figure out a way to tell Coulson everything."

"I don't think I can do this without you." Skye snuffled.

"You won't be. I know it's not ideal, but I am only on the other end of the phone. And as long as we don't make a regular habit out of it we can meet like this every now and then." Ward promised her.

* * *

May heard Ward and Skye stir and immediately her senses were on high alert. She listened to what they were saying and when they went silent she realised that they must have fallen back to sleep. She waited, watching the room and was surprised when she saw the light get turned off, the door open and Ward creep out of it.

Shocked that he was doing a runner, May elected to let him know she was there. She picked up her rifle and pointed it at him. She saw him look down at the red dot on his chest and take a deep breath. She moved the red dot to the wall next to him and she smiled when he looked towards her, not able to see her, his face showing his confusion. over why he hadn't been shot yet.

May flashed the spot against the wall.

dot - dot - dot, _pause,_ dot - dot - dot -dot, _pause,_ dot - dot, _pause, _dot, _pause, _dot - dash - dot - dot_, pause, _dash - dot - dot.

Ward knew the second the spot started flashing that it was morse code. Once it had finished and stopped flashing he turned the dots and dashes into letters.

S-H-I-E-L-D.

He took the opportunity to leave.

* * *

Skye woke up to an empty bed. She could tell it was early as it was still fairly dark outside.

"Ward?" She called out to the room.

Panicking, she sat bolt upright, seeing the teddy Ward had won her at the carnival on one of the chairs, a throwing star attached to its neck. Then she saw the tape recorder on the table with a note saying 'play me'.

Slowly Skye got off the bed and crept over to the table. She pressed play on the recorder before taking the teddy and hugging it to her as she sat back down on the bed.

"_Skye" _Wards voice cut loud and clear through the silence of the room "_I'm sorry I'm not there as you wake up this time, but it's still far too dangerous for me to spend too much time in one place away from paradise. If you need me for anything - tell me, even if it's to kidnap you again. I love you, and I promise to make everything right again so that, if you still want me, we can be together, regardless of your choice."_

Skye smiled and pulled the teddy as close as she could get it and was pleasantly surprised that it smelled like Ward.

Realising Ward had taken her shoes off her at some point during the night she bent down to put them back on.

She picked up the tape recorder off the table and put it in the bag she had dropped by the door. She took the throwing star off the teddy and added that to the bag too.

She picked the teddy off the bed, the key off the table and headed for the door, before realising Ward had left the test on the table. She quickly picked it up and put it in her pocket as she couldn't reach her boots.

She checked out of the Motel and headed back towards SHILED's base. She quickly entered through the back streets, her ID nullifying the countermeasures and alerting everyone else to her presence. She slipped in through the hidden door and carefully made her way back to her room. She opened the door, shuffled in, closed the door and leaned against it, sliding to the floor and letting out a sigh of relief.

"Where the HELL have you been?"


	20. Chapter 20

Skye looked up from the floor to see May looking at her, stood at the end of her bed, arms crossed over her chest.

"I, well, I..." Skye stuttered, trying to think of what to say "I couldn't sleep so I, er, went for a walk!"

"That's why a pregnancy test just fell out of your pocket."

Skye looked at it and quickly formulated a lie.

"I found it, on my walk and I meant to put it in the bin." Skye told her.

"Cut the crap Skye." May told her, proud of how well Skye was actually lying to her.

"What crap?"

"I know exactly where you've been, who with _and_ why. I know that test is yours and I want you to tell me everything that happened from the moment he took you off the bus."

"You know?" Skye asked.

"I know. I'm not happy with any of it and I would rather not hear any of it, but I think you need to talk to someone about it, and as he never tried to actually _kill_ me and that I already know I guess that means I'm that someone."

"Where do you want me to start?"

"What happened when he got you onto the jet?"

"Well he tied me up and flew off. I don't know how Whitehall knew, but he did."

"Knew what?"

"That Ward ordered the 'bus NOT to be shot down. So Whitehall ordered it himself and put a hit out on Ward at the same time. Ward wasn't worried about it. Before we left he put this weird device on the 'bus that diverted missiles. We flew to, well, I have no idea where and we stopped in a Motel room for the night. He spent the night in the chair. I doubt if he slept, but I shared with Raina. Next morning we ended up on a train to Alaska."

"What happened in Alaska?"

"Hydra caught up to us on the platform and Raina ran off. Ward got the better of them and we took a car and went to get one of his supply bags. We changed cars and headed back towards Canada. We stopped in Fairbanks."

"What happened there?"

"I saw the most amazing Aurora Borealis"

"And then what?"

"We went shopping because we had no food or clean clothes. I saw him watching the report of his brother's death and I accused him of having something to do with it. Anyway, we got back in the car and drove. He realised Hydra were following us, so we evaded them and headed to Seattle without stopping. I managed to steal a laptop after I saw Ward had a USB keychain on his keys. I was going to transfer whatever I found and email it to Coulson."

"Let me guess, there was nothing on it?"

"There was something on it, just something I didn't expect."

"What was it?"

"Christian Ward's suicide video from Ward's perspective. He was there but he didn't kill any of them. Anyway, I realised a few things about him, and maybe myself, but on instinct I took him to the funeral. So we took it in turns to drive cross country and Hydra caught up with us at the funeral, so it's a good job we were only watching from afar. We thought he had a tracker, so we drove a while and found a vet."

"Skye, I know I asked for everything, but can you speed it up a little?"

"We broke into it, found the tracker, cut it out of him and carried on towards his safe house before contacting my father. We met him in providence a week later and he sold Ward out to Hydra because he planned to take me with him, but we had already planned escape routes, so when they attacked he dealt with them while I got to the jet we were going to use. I looked out of the door and saw my father about to kill him, so I shot at him and told him to let Ward go. Without him I wouldn't have got out of there. We made it to a Motel where I patched him up and that's when we, well, you know. That's when we also hatched the plan for you guys to come and get me. The cuffs, gag and tazer were all staged."

"I cannot BELIEVE you kept this from me! What the hell were you thinking? How could you succumb to him like that?" May nearly yelled at her.

"Clearly I wasn't thinking. I didn't tell you because I knew you wouldn't understand. How could you? And I didn't succumb. _I _initiated it! What do you want me to say? I fell for a guy, then found out he was a nasty piece of work, but I still loved him anyway? That even after I found out WHAT and WHO he was I still couldn't help my feelings. That even when he tried to kill all of my friends I wanted to believe that there was still good in him?" Skye spat, tears pouring from her eyes.

Skye got off the floor and stood in front of May, trying to calm herself down, edging her hand towards the door. She wanted top make sure she still had the opportunity to run.

"I had no idea you felt that way about him." May said, softening a little.

"No one did. Not even he did until I told him the morning after. He, like everyone else, thought I hated him. I wanted to believe it myself, but when I found out the truth about all of it I just wanted to hold him."

May said nothing. She just watched as Skye picked up the teddy off the floor, made her way over to her bed and put it on her pillows. She pulled the throwing star out of her bag and placed it back around its neck. She pulled the tape recorder out and placed it on her nightstand.

"I'm scared." Skye finally admitted in a small voice, not able to look May in the eye.

May picked up the test off the floor and handed it to her.

"I heard everything he said to you last night. I was listening through a parabolic mic. I know I'm not him, but will I do to help you through this?" May asked, making a decision to help, even though it went against her better judgement.

Skye sat on the edge of the bed and started crying again.

May sat down next to her and pulled her towards her.

"Coulson needs to know."

"I can't tell him."

"I can tell him if you want me to."

Skye said nothing but continued to cry into May's shoulder.

"He was right by the way. You need to sleep. Why don't you get your head down and I'll come and get you if I need you." May told her, stroking her hair.

She waited for Skye to fall asleep before softly padding to the door.


	21. Chapter 21

"Coulson, you got a minute?" May asked him while he was working in his office.

"Sure. You got any more information out of Skye?"

"I followed her last night. She met Ward in a motel."

"What?"

"That was my reaction too. I managed to get him in the crosshairs of my sniper rifle."

"Make my day and tell me you pulled the trigger." Coulson said to her, hope clear in his eyes.

"I was about to." May admitted.

"But?"

May knew she had to choose her next words carefully.

"I listened into their conversation and I heard Skye drop a bombshell which took us both by surprise. In that split second he closed the door and I lost him."

"What bombshell?"

"Well I just found out what she's been hiding and trust me, you don't want to know. But she kind of had sex with Ward and is now, sort of, feeling the aftermath of it." May said with difficulty.

"He forced her into sex?" Coulson asked May, his jaw hitting the floor in disbelief.

"No. He didn't force her into anything. And I think you might be missing the point." She replied, cringing.

"So what? He seduced her and she fell for it?"

"No. From what Skye told me, _she_ was the one who started it, and you are still missing the point."

"What point?"

"She's feeling the aftermath of having sex with him."

"I'm lost. What aftermath can you feel after having sex?"

"Do I need to spell it out to you?" May asked, losing her patience with him.

"Please do."

"She's pregnant."

"WHAT THE HELL?" Coulson yelled.

"Calm down, she's freaking out enough without you being on her case."

"She'll be freaking out the door when I get hold of her." Coulson growled.

"No she won't. You kick her out and she'll go to him and probably end up being killed by Hydra, seen as though they have a hit on his head."

"Hydra put a hit on him?" His demeanour changing drastically.

"I learned a lot over the course of the night."

"Do you know why?"

"Because he took Skye off the bus and ordered us to be left alone. Apparently Whitehall didn't like it and told the others to shoot us out of the air, before putting a price on Ward's head."

"Interesting twist." Coulson said, before his expression changed as he realised something "Wait, are you telling me Skye wasn't tied up at all and she didn't try to escape?"

"I think the prospect of meeting her father was too appealing."

"She met her father?"

"And stopped him killing Ward as he was her only way out of there."

"Is there anything else I need to know?"

"He didn't kill his family."

* * *

Skye woke up close to lunch time and found a sandwich placed carefully on her bedside table. She also realised that she had the giant teddy in a strangle hold, cuddling up to it, still able to smell Ward on it.

She had no idea what he had done to make it smell like him, she was just thankful that he had.

Sitting up she realised she was hungry, so she took the sandwich and bit into it, groaning when she realised it was her favourite: Mozzarella, tomato and basil with bacon pieces.

She realised as she ate her sandwich that she felt lighter after telling Ward and confessing (almost) everything to May.

She pulled the phone out of her boot and opened a message.

'_May knows. I'm so sorry, she followed me last night – I had no ide_a!' she typed and hit send.

Minutes later a reply came through.

'_I wondered who was on the end of that sniper rifle as I left._'

'_Wait, how did you know she had a rifle trained on you?_'

'_Same way I let you know I was watching you. Flashed the spot against the wall and spelled out SHIELD._'

'S_he offered to tell Coulson, but I had to tell her everything before she would. Didn't tell her about paradise though – nice code name BTW!'_

'_I'll bet that went down like a lead balloon'_

Skye heard a soft knock on her door, so she shoved the phone back into her boot.

"Come in!" she called.

"Feeling better?" May asked as she came into the room and sat down on the end of the bed.

"Yeah, now that I've slept. I can't help feel like I over reacted last night, but then I think about it and it freaks me out again."

"I've discussed it with Coulson. He's not happy about it, but he is willing to keep quiet while you make the tough decisions. But, you aren't allowed into combat situations as you now pose a risk to everyone." May told her.

"I understand. Can I at least go with you guys on the 'bus? I don't think I could be alone here."

"I don't see why not, as long as a doctor permits it. By the way, do you have one?"

"One what?" Skye asked.

"Doctor. Someone who can see you through this physically, and guide you down either path that you choose."

"No, I didn't think about it." Skye admitted.

"We'll find you one."

"It's all just so sudden and there is so damn much to think about."

"I know. How do you contact Ward?" May asked.

"What makes you think I know how to contact him?" Skye asked.

"Stop protecting him Skye, I was listening remember."

Reluctantly, Skye pulled the cell phone out of her boot and handed it over.

"He told me to contact him in an emergency. I figured finding that out was emergency enough to contact him to meet."

May looked at the phone and handed it back to Skye.

"Only in an emergency, other than that you aren't to contact him, do you understand?"

"Yes. Can I let him know that so he doesn't worry?" Skye asked.

"He worries?" May asked, slightly taken aback that Ward had the capacity to worry about someone.

"Yeah." Skye told her with a smile.

"Do it."

Skye opened the messages and typed:

'_She knows about the phone, I am to find a doctor to help me out and I am only allowed to contact you in a genuine emergency.'_

'_Ok, but May better take damn good care of you. As for the doctor – Hayley Stewart, __555-545493__, and for God sake – don't tell them who she really is._'

Skye smiled as she read his message.

"He's given me the name of a doctor who may be able to help."

"Name?"

"Hayley Stewart."

"Can she be trusted?"

"I think so."

"Look her up." May ordered Skye.

Skye pulled her laptop towards her and started researching the doctor.

She pulled up all of the information she could on her and showed it to May.

"She's a trauma surgeon with a 95% survival rate. She's the best in the country and has had so many different articles written about her." Skye told her, pulling up her research.

"Allegiance?"

"None as far as I can tell."

"Family?"

"Parents deceased, only child."

"We need to meet this woman."

"We can call and arrange dinner or something." Skye suggested.

"I'll call. You go and show your face in Coulson's office."

* * *

Skye knocked on Coulson's office door.

"Enter!"

Hesitantly Skye entered, looking at the floor, not able to meet Coulson's eyes.

"Well this is a pretty fine mess you've got yourself into, isn't it?" he asked her. She could hear a slight tinge of anger in his voice.

"Yes Sir."

"Don't Sir me Skye, I think we're past that. Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't fight him, I didn't contact you when I had the chance and I knew you wouldn't approve of me choosing to stay."

"You're right about that. I don't approve of your choices, but I do understand why you have made them, until the last one which landed you in this mess. I am lead to believe it was you who initiated it?."

"It was."

"Why?"

"I realised my feelings for him had never disappeared, even after I knew he was Hydra and after he dropped FitzSimmons. I guess spending time with him like that made it all come back to the surface."

"How do you know he wasn't using you? He is a skilled manipulator after all."

"He was grieving for his brother. It made him emotionally raw and he struggled with it. I think it clouded his ability to manipulate."

"Which brings me onto that subject. How do you know for certain that Ward didn't pull the trigger?"

Skye got up out of the chair, fingered through her keys and found the USB stick Ward had given her. She plugged it into his computer, pulled up the video file and plugged a set of headphones into the jack. She passed him the earphones which he put over his ears and she pressed play.

She sat watching Coulson's face as he watched the events that lead to three people losing their lives. He visibly jumped out of his skin as Skye heard the bang of a gunshot, muffled by the ear pads.

He removed the headphones and looked at Skye.

"You could have warned me it was graphic."

"I found a USB of his and I stole a laptop. While he was in the shower I was going to send you what information I could find, but all that was on there was the video." Skye told him.

"Ok, so he didn't kill his family, but he has damned near tried to kill all of us."

"He wants to make things right."

"It's going to take more than kidnapping you and getting you pregnant to make up for what he's done."

"I know."

"Do you know what you're going to do about that yet?"

"No. I mean I only found out yesterday. I just need some time to process."

There was a knock on the door.

"Enter!" Coulson called

May came into the room.

"Skye, the doctor is already in DC and can meet us now for a coffee."

"Doctor? Aren't you going to let Simmons guide you through this?" Coulson asked.

"She would want to know who the father is and I don't think I'm ready to tell her yet."

"Very well. Go and meet this doctor, but I trust you to do a thorough background check."

"Already done." May told him, stepping back to allow Skye to pass her.


	22. Chapter 22

"I thought you said she was free to meet us now?" Skye asked. She was getting antsy.

"She said she was." May told her. She too was starting to get restless. "Is that her?"

Skye looked to where May was pointing and saw a stunning redhead approach.

"That's her." Skye answered smiling.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

The redhead approached the table.

"I am so sorry I'm late. I had to shake a tail. You must be Agent May, and you must be Skye." She said, shaking their hands in turn.

"You're Dr. Hayley Stewart? The world class trauma surgeon?" Skye asked dubiously. She knew Hayley was younger than Ward, but the woman in front of her couldn't have been older that her mid twenties.

"I am. Did you expect me to be older?"

"Yeah."

"I skipped a few grades which meant I became an attending surgeon sooner. So down to business." Hayley explained.

"Wait, before we do. What do you mean you had to shake a tail?"

"I thought someone was following me." Hayley told them.

"And were they?"

"Nope. Can we get down to business now?"

"Sure. As I explained over the phone, we are in need of a doctor who can remain discreet and provide treatment and support for Skye here."

"Treatment and support in what exactly?"

"I'm pregnant, but the people I work with can't know. I don't even know what I'm going to do about it yet."

"I can help, but we would need somewhere to work. You can come and see me in New Jersey if that would be better for you."

"We'd never get the time, it would probably be best for you to come to us. We have a top of the line medical facilities." May told her.

"Do you have an ultrasound machine?"

"I think we do actually."

"Why would we have an ultrasound machine?" Skye asked.

"It's not just for the reason we need it. It's also handy for diagnosing and treating soft tissue injuries." Hayley explained, before continuing "We need to schedule an initial meeting, just to confirm everything and create a plan."

"Why don't you come back with us now?" Skye asked.

"We'd need to verify you via fingerprint and DNA before issuing you a landyard." May told her, noticing the uncomfortable look creep into Hayley's face. "What?"

"It's nothing, I just can't have my DNA tested."

"Why?"

"Because the people that were following me have been doing so for 17 years, waiting for my brother to mess up so they can grab me to force his hand."

"Who is your...?" May started to ask, but was cut off by Skye saying:

"Ward, he helped, with Garrett and Hydra's resources, to recreate Hayley's new identity to get her away from her abusive home life and youngest of her older brothers."

"WHAT?!" May cried

"Oh, so he told you everything? Wow, he really does like you doesn't he?"

"You're telling me Ward joined Garrett and Hydra because of the incentives programme?" May choked out.

"Not in so many words as it didn't exist, but what Garrett held over Ward was, in fact the pre curser to the incentives programme. He did ask me not to tell you who Hayley really is for her own protection."

"I'm guessing he called you and that's why you're in DC." May asked her.

"He did. He said Skye might need some help."

"Fine. But you screw us over and I swear I will put a bullet in your skull myself." May threatened.

"Deal. Now shall we get on with this and how do we get around the whole DNA/fingerprint issue? They'll be on file as a suspicious, unsolved death."

"You leave that to me while you see to Skye." May told her.

The three of them got up from the table and made their way back to the SUV.

* * *

"So the background check, DNA and finger prints check out?" Couslon asked May as she filled him in on the meeting.

"Yes. We should get her a landyard. She could be here a while and from what I've read about her, she could turn out to be a valuable asset."

"In what way?"

"She's a very successful trauma surgeon. Her survival rate if 95% from emergency surgery."

"I guess that's good?"

"The average is 80%. Having dug a little deeper, her colleagues claim that she can do things with a scalpel they wouldn't attempt to do in their dizziest daydreams."

"Where is she?"

"She's downstairs with Skye checking everything over."

"I wouldn't expect her to be at the point where there's anything to check."

"It's basically confirming she's actually pregnant and working out her due date."

"Right. Due date. Do you think she's actually going to go through with this?"

"It's hard to tell right now. She's confused and scared and is worried that her entire world will come crashing down around her when her friends find out."

* * *

"You know it's nice to finally put a face to the voice." Skye said as Hayley took her blood pressure.

"Likewise, though I already knew a little about you from one very strange phone call I had with Grant a while back."

"Really? What did he say?"

"Just he'd found a girl that he'd be willing to risk everything on and that I should watch my back."

"Is that all?"

"It's all we had time for. It was the first time I'd heard his voice in fifteen years."

"Wow. I didn't realise you'd be so pretty."

"I'm not that pretty. It's only my hair that makes an impact." She laughed, uncuffing the blood pressure machine from Skye's arm and attaching a device to her finger. Immediately she heard a _beep beep_ on the monitor next to her.

"What are you checking?"

"This checks your pulse rate and oxygen saturation levels." Hayley told her, making a note of said levels on the clipboard she was using.

Hayley unclipped the machine from Skye's finger and located a stethoscope. Once she found one she instructed Skye to remove her top.

"This is going to be cold." She told her as she placed the smooth metal on Skye's skin, making her flinch.

"Why do you need to check my breathing?" Skye asked.

"I'm also manually checking your heart, but my instructions were for a complete physical."

"You aren't going to treat me like a pin cushion are you?"

"Just one needle for now." Hayley told her smiling and removing the stethoscope from Skye's chest.

"You can get dressed now."

Skye put her top back on and found a small plastic cup being thrust into her hand.

"Fill her up! If you don't need to go now, you'll need to drink plenty of water while I finish the other tests."

"No. I'll go now." Skye said, jumping of the table she had been sat on and heading to the bathroom.

She returned five minutes later with it full.

"Put it on that table." Hayley said, pointing to a spare table as she put on a pair of gloves.

"What the hell are those for?" Skye asked worried.

"SOP for taking bodily fluids. If you sit back on the table I can take a sample of your blood."

Skye sat on the table and revealed her arm where Hayley quickly and painlessly inserted a needle into one of her veins.

"Wow. I barely felt that." Skye told her impressed. Her usual experience of needles involved much more pain.

"I know!" Hayley told her, attaching a glass tube to the needle and taking a sample of blood.

It filled quickly and she swapped it with another one and when that had filled Hayley attached a third vile to the needle. Once that one was full Hayley removed the needle from Skye's arm and told her to apply pressure to the gauze she had applied over the hole.

While she was waiting for the blood to clot, Hayley changed her gloves, picked up a strip of paper, opened the pot Skye had brought back with her and dunked the paper in.

May knocked and came into the room.

"So how's it going?"

"Who knew being pregnant came with such a fuss?" Skye moaned, lifting the gauze to see if her arm had stopped bleeding.

"We have to make sure you're healthy." May told her.

"That's true, except, you aren't pregnant, but I do need to see you again in the morning, there is something that's concerning me" Hayley told her.

"Not pregnant?" Skye asked, her face paling.

"That's right, but I need to see you here at 8am sharp. There's something I want to check that can only be checked in the morning." Hayley told her.

"Ok. I think I need to lie down." Skye said, getting off the table and heading for the door. She left the room and headed to her bed.

"She's not pregnant?" May asked, wanting to feel relief, but feeling concerned for Skye's sanity more.

"Oh, she's pregnant, that's why I want to see her in the morning, but Grant told me she didn't know how she felt about it. "

"And telling her there's no baby helps how?"

"You can't lose something you never had." Hayley told her.

"I get it. Skye's reaction to this news will tell her deep down how she feels about it." May said, cottoning on to the plan.

"Where's her room. You can't leave something like this too long and I want to go check on her!"

"I'll do it, but I'll show you to a room you can stay in." May told her. Hayley screwed the lid back on the jar and placed in the drawer May told her she could use for Skye's case notes. She locked it and followed May out of the room.

* * *

**A/N: I was going to leave it at Hayley telling Skye she's not pregnant, but I thought I'd lose a few of you!**

**(P.S - I don't mind reviews that are critical in a constructive way, or are asking questions, but please - being rude is not nice - this is a FanFic site, all stories come from the authors imagination, if you don't like it then that's fine, just don't be rude about it!)**


	23. Chapter 23

Skye made it back to her room and collapsed onto the bed.

"I'm not pregnant." She thought. "I'm not pregnant."

A single tear rolled down her cheek and onto her hand. It was followed by another and then another and before Skye knew it she was crying over it.

Knowing her promise to May she refrained from contacting Ward, and vowed to ask her in the morning if she could.

Skye reached for the teddy bear and buried her head into the seam that connected it to its body, inhaling the now familiar scent she associated with safety.

There was a knock on the door and it opened before Skye could answer it.

"Hey. I just thought I'd stop by to check you're ok?" May said to her, walking over to the bed and sitting next to Skye.

"I'm fine. I guess it's just been an emotional couple of days."

"What are your feelings about this?"

"I don't know. Truthfully, I feel, kind of empty. Oh God! What do I tell Ward?"

She started shaking.

"You shouldn't tell him anything."

"But the baby... He needs to know there isn't one."

"Don't worry about that."

"How can I not? What if this was our only chance for this? And what the hell could cause a positive test?" Skye asked her, drying her eyes.

"Pregnancy."

"That's not funny."

"Wasn't meant to be. The Doc lied to you to gauge your reaction. She needed you to lose the idea of being pregnant so that you would realise how you felt about it. It's a harsh tactic, but apparently it works."

Skye started hyperventilating as the realisation of what May was saying dawned on her.

"Why do I feel this way?" Skye asked her as May located a suitable bag to place over Skye's nose and mouth to regulate her breathing.

"Because it's been an emotional couple of days and in the last half hour you started to grieve before being told that the one thing you were grieving is still possible."

"So what you're telling me is this is my body's way of telling me that I want this baby?"

"I'm not saying that, but if you didn't you wouldn't have been so heartbroken over the news you were given."

* * *

"May, what can I do for you?" Coulson asked as she wandered into his office.

"The doctor we got is an evil genius, but she's just sorted out Skye's head out in minutes over this whole pregnancy thing."

"And?"

"I think we're going to have little feet running around."

"She's going to go through with it?"

"I think she will."

"What did the doctor say to her?" Coulson demanded, concerned that Hayley had coaxed Skye into a decision that she would regret.

"Well, upon confirming that Skye is pregnant she told her she wasn't to see what her reaction would be. It was clear she was heartbroken."

"Great, just great. This is all we need. I need to speak to them Skye and Ward."

"You want to talk to Ward? As in face to face?" May asked him sceptically

"As much as I hate to say this, but this needs to be discussed with them _both_."

"I should have put a bullet in his skull when I had the chance." May said and left the office to check on Skye for one final time before heading to bed.

"That wasn't nice what you did to me last night." Skye told Hayley as she continued the tests the following morning.

"I know and I'm sorry. Grant told me that you didn't know how you were feeling and that was the only way I could help you figure it out."

"We really should come up with a code name for him."

"Why?"

"Because he tried to kill most of the people here. Granted, in trying to kill some of them he was _actually _ trying to save their lives, but none the less, he still tried to kill them."

"Which is why you don't want Dr. Simmons doing this? She'd ask too many questions?"

"Exactly."

Hayley put the ultrasound wand down and handed Skye a wipe. She wiped the gel off her stomach.

"You can pull your shirt down now."

Skye slid her shirt down and sat up.

"Well?" She asked hesitantly.

"Everything looks ok, but it's still early days."

"Is there any way to prevent morning sickness? I just don't want people to ask questions."

"I'm not an expert, but I'll look into it and get back to you. Now there are shots, and vitamins that you'll need to take daily.

"I still haven't decided if I'm going to do this, I mean, it's not as if it's straightforward."

"Even if you don't, you'll still need to take the medication, until the decision is made."

"Alright. Anything else I can or can't do?"

"Combat is a big no no, but you can and should still exercise. I'd highly recommend swimming." Hayley told her, before handing her a piece of paper. "This is a list of things you are no longer allowed to eat. They all contain ingredients that could be harmful to the baby."

"I can't drink coffee?" Skye asked

"It's not recommended, but if you're a coffee addict you should cut down to half a cup before changing to tea."

"I can't drink coffee?" she repeated.

Hayley smiled and handed her another sheet of paper.

"This is what happens through a standard pregnancy and how you should expect your body to change over the next few weeks until the due date. This is only a guide. Some things may happen sooner or later than this, but they should all happen."

"When _is_ my Due date?"

"My calculations put it 6th June, but again, it could happen sooner or later, but this means you have until March to make a decision before it will be made for you. I will arrange to see you in a few weeks and if you have any questions then you have my number."

"You aren't staying?"

"I have an ER department to get back to and run."

May burst through the door.

"Hayley, we need you."

"What's happened?"

"There's been an accident. Coulson fell down the stairs and Simmons is out with Hunter."

"Ok. I'll be right there."

Hayley followed May out of the room, along the corridor and down the stairs where Coulson was sat at the bottom holding a piece of gauze to his head and a small metal object sticking out of his side.

"What did you do?" Hayley asked him.

"Slipped, fell, hit my head, and landed on the fork I was eating my dinner with."

"Which is why you should eat sat down, ideally at a table."

"Very funny Doc, now can you take this fork out of my side, it's a tad uncomfortable."

"I'll need to check it's not hit anything important. It doesn't look like it has but I'll need to check anyway, but before I look at it I need to stitch your head wound up."

Between them, Hayley and May hauled Coulson to his feet and half carried, half dragged him to the medical bay. They hauled him onto one of the beds and Hayley got everything she needed to treat him.

"Without going into gory details, how's Skye?" Coulson asked the doctor.

"She's holding it together, for now anyway. There is something I think I should discuss with both of you though."

"Go for it."

"If she goes through with it all, she's going to need a birthing partner. Ideally it's going to be someone that can keep her calm when her first instinct is to panic."

"Why do I feel sick?" Coulson asked.

"It could be that the thought of being in a room when a woman is giving birth freaks a lot of men out, or it could be the gaping head wound I'm attacking with thread."

May let out an involuntary snort of laughter, before stopping at the look Coulson was giving her.

* * *

Simmons meandered past the medical suite on her way to the lab. She was deep in conversation with Hunter about something until she saw Coulson sat on the medical table having his head tended to. Immediately her direction changed and she headed towards them.

"What did you do?" Simmons asked him gently, walking round to inspect the wound.

"Had a fall."

"You fell?"

"Well it was more of a trip, but yeah."

"It's ok Simmons. Dr. Stewart there is taking _very_ good care of him." May told her, thinking now would be the best time to introduce them.

"Wait, Dr. Stewart as in _the_ Dr. Hayley Stewart? The Dr. who has the highest trauma success rate in the country and can do things with a scalpel that scares the living daylights out of her work colleagues Dr. Stewart? Youngest ever winner of the Harper Avery Award, Dr. Stewart?" Simmons said, looking between May and Hayley.

"That's me! You aren't a creepy stalker person are you?" Hayley asked, snipping the thread she was using, putting a hand on Coulson's shoulder and guiding him into a prone position.

"No, I've just read all of your papers on Trauma care so I could treat this lot and I mean you practically _wrote_ the book." Simmons gushed.

"Aww, shucks. I had a tonne of help with that."

"What I don't understand is, why are you here?"

"I was in the area and Agent May called in a favour."

"You know May?" Simmons asked.

"Old friends, go waaayyyy back. I also know her ex husband."

May was a little startled at this revelation, but managed to keep it out of her face. Not only was May impressed that Hayley knew she had been married, she was impressed by how capable she was at lying. The more time May spent with her the more she could see the family resemblance.

"IS THAT A FORK?" Simmons cried as Hayley moved, giving Simmons a good look at Coulson's injury.


	24. Chapter 24

"I can't believe it's the 12 week check already!" Skye gasped as Hayley put the gel onto her stomach without warning.

"Doesn't time fly?" Hayley asked

"Tell me about it."

Hayley placed the ultrasound wand onto Skye's skin making her flinch again.

"You know you could warn me when you do that!" Skye complained.

"Doesn't make it warmer."

"That's a shame."

Hayley smiled and moved the wand, looking at the screen as she did.

"Gotcha!" She said and Skye looked up at the screen.

"Got what? I don't see anything!"

"Well, here is the head, this is an arm, leg and this tiny little dot here... that's the heartbeat. That's what I was looking for." Hayley told her, outlining each piece of the baby's anatomy with her finger.

"It has a heartbeat?" Skye asked, emotion choking her voice.

"Sure. A steady, regular, strong heartbeat."

Skye sat staring at the screen.

"So other than feeling completely emotional and somewhat alone, how are you holding up?" Hayley asked her.

"Well my shirt that fit yesterday won't go over to my boobs today, none of my bra's fit so I'm having to let 'em swing and I've been throwing up, but fortunately not enough for Simmons to get suspicious."

"The boobs are a natural thing. They are going to increase in size as they fill with milk so you can feed the baby once it's born, and they will increase at an alarming rate. You will need to go get a bra. Letting them hang loose isn't good for you, or them, I can't do anything more than what I've already done for the morning sickness and I think you're flying under the radar as far as Simmons is concerned. By the way, you might want to consider getting some maternity clothes. You'll start to show soon."

"Eurgh!" Skye groaned, not looking forward to the prospect of shopping for more clothes.

"Anyone would think that you're not excited."

"To be doing this near enough on my own? I'm not excited, I'm as scared as hell!"

"You'd be surprised how many people say that."

"How do you know all of this? I mean the whole guiding me through this thing?"

"Residency." Hayley told her.

* * *

"Skye, what took you so long?" Coulson asked her as she entered his office and joined the meeting that was being held.

"Sorry. It won't happen again. What did I miss?" Skye said, earning some looks of the rest of the team.

"You missed that Bobbi, Hunter, Coulson, Mack and Simmons are going to head off into town to find out what's going on. You, Me and Fitz are staying on the 'bus to run communications." May told her, catching her up on the outline of the mission.

"Why's May staying? I mean Fitz I get, Skye I'm a little unsure of, but her computer skills may come in handy while she's there, but May?" Hunter asked.

"I need her there in case we need a swift takeoff." Coulson told them, putting an end to the discussion "We all ready to go?"

They gathered up their possessions and headed towards the bus. They deposited their things and took a seat while May and Bobbi headed to the cockpit.

They sat at the controls and flicked a number of switches which opened the doors and fired up the engines.

"There's more to it than needing a fast take off." Bobbi said to May.

"What makes you think that?"

"Skye. Coulson clearly doesn't trust her since her little adventure, so it makes sense that he would leave you here as her SO to keep an eye on her."

May didn't say anything, but let Bobbi continue to believe her theory.

The flight lasted three hours and Skye and Fitz spent most of it working on the best way to infiltrate the computer system from their position should they be required to do so.

"So what are they actually doing?" Skye asked May as they sat on the 'bus waiting for Coulson to get in contact with them.

"He received a tip off that the diviner would be here somewhere so he's gone to check it out." May explained.

"Isn't that a little strange?" Fitz asked.

"Yeah, that's why he's gone with plenty of backup and I'm here with you two." May told them.

"I'm going to go and use the little rocket scientists room, so holler if you need me." Fitz said, getting up and heading for the stairs

May looked towards the stairs that he had disappeared down and heard a sound that resembled him knocking something over. She headed towards the stairs and before she got there Fitz was being dragged back into the room by a man dressed in camouflage, who was holding a gun to Fitz's head.

"Move and he dies."

May considered moving, but if she did, Skye and Fitz could get caught in the crossfire, so she remained still.

Five more men moved into the room and bound May and Skye's wrists in front of them and escorted them to a nearby van. The three of them were pushed in and the door was slammed. Skye looked at May and slid her hand into her boot.

Realising what Skye was doing, May used her bound hands and hit the guard next to her in the face. She was immediately set upon by the remaining guards who hit her with simultaneous tazer strikes, rendering her unconscious.

"This is what you get for fighting back." One of the men told Skye and Fitz.

Skye wriggled her way over to May and managed to get her head settled on her lap.

The ride in the back of the van was long and bumpy and May finally started coming too just before the van stopped and the doors were opened. The three of them were dragged out of the van and down several corridors before being thrown into a room.

* * *

"I can't believe how much of a waste of time that was." Hunter complained as he, Bobbi, Simmons, Coulson and Mack got back to the 'bus.

"It was supposed to be here!" Coulson protested.

"Where did you find that out?" Bobbi asked him gently.

"Anonymous source." Coulson admitted.

"Could have been a set up." Mack imputed.

"Get me out of the picture for a few hours? To what end?"

That's when he noticed that there was no welcoming committee and that is was too quiet. He also noticed the scooter that Fitz had managed to knock over when the men took him. Coulson set off running for the stairs.

"May? Skye? Fitz?" He shouted, running as fast as he could.

Once he ascertained they weren't on the top deck of the 'bus her went back to the others.

"They're gone." He told them.

"Well I think we just confirmed it was a set up." Bobbi said as Mack picked the scooter up.

"Question is: Who and Why?" Hunter asked.

"It had better not be Ward." Simmons said, knowing he enjoyed kidnapping. Especially when it came to Skye.

"It's not Ward. If it were him there'd be some evidence. He'd want us to know." Coulson told her.


	25. Chapter 25

"Well, well, well. Agent's Fitz, May and Skye of SHIELD. I had wondered if you would put up a fight Agent May, but I am thankful you came relatively quietly."

"Whitehall." May grumbled as Whitehall's Hydra agents tied her to a bull ring on the wall.

"Agent Skye, you are simply glowing. What's your secret?"

"I eat virgins for breakfast." She spat at him, trying to wriggle her way out of the Hydra agent's grip as he tied her to the wall.

"Agent Fitz, I am hoping when all of this is done I can convince you into my way of thinking, but there again, I don't think I need another brain dead scientist working for me."

"What do you want from us?" he asked.

"I need you here, simply as a distraction. You see I have some pretty big plans and the last thing I need is _Phil Coulson_ ruining things for me, so while I get on with my plans, he will be hurling through hell trying to find you."

"And what are you going to do with us while we're here?" May asked.

"Once my plans are complete I will let you go. I do not intend to hurt you as I do not wish to make myself more of a target of SHIELD's, but if you fight then I will."

* * *

Ward was sat reading a book in his safe house when he heard his phone ring. Smiling as Skye was the only one who had the number he picked it up and answered it.

"Skye! I thought contacting me was against the rules." He chuckled, which soon died in his mouth as he heard a thud, zaps of electricity and Skye scream May's name.

Keeping the phone to his ear, he ran into the computer room and started a line trace. Within the minute he had located Skye, but they were clearly on the move, and as there were no computers in the jet, he had no choice but to stay put until they reached their final destination.

Two hours later he saw that the dot that was Skye had stopped, so he noted down her location and headed towards the jet.

He was in the air quickly and was headed to the location when an alert came over his dash saying he was low on fuel.

"This is all I need." He groaned as he hit stealth mode and made his way to the nearest airport where he would be able to, using his stealth advantage, obtain enough fuel to last him a while.

Back in the air, Ward put the jet on autopilot and headed to the rear of the jet where he loaded his body with guns, knives and throwing stars. He even added a pair of batons and a tazer as he didn't know what he was going to face or whether May would try to kill him this time.

He was still a few hours out.

* * *

"I feel so sick." Skye complained as the six Hydra agents that had kidnapped them checked they were still bound.

"Skye?" May asked as Skye, who struggled against the rope she was tied with.

Fitz saw Skye's face turn an unusual shade of green before she vomited, but being tied to a wall she could only do it in one direction.

All over the Hydra agent checking the ropes.

Immediately he reacted.

"Don't." Whitehall said in a commanding voice., stopping the agent from hitting Skye with a tazer.

He had watched the scene in fascination. He had seen Skye throw up and also saw his man get his tazer out. He saw Skye's lift her leg as if trying to protect her stomach.

"I wonder Agent Skye, does Grant Ward know he's going to be a father?" he asked Skye, adding everything up.

"W-w-w-h-h-at?!" Fitz spluttered, his face paling.

Whitehall looked at him.

"You mean to tell me that you haven't shared the joyous news with your friends?" he asked Skye, while he continued to look at Fitz.

Skye remained silent.

"Do not taze her under any circumstance, I do not need an assassin striving for my blood. If she gets out of hand, you can strike on of the others." Whitehall instructed the agents in the room. "Untie her, give her a bucket and clean this mess up."

Whitehall left the room. Skye was immediately untied and moments later she was given a bucket to throw up into should she need it. The mess she had made was cleaned up. Skye took a step towards May, but stopped when she saw the agent she had thrown up over remove his tazer.

"Alright! I'm staying put!" she cried, sitting on the floor.

"Is it true?" Fitz asked her. He was still pale and had started shaking.

"Yes." Skye finally admitted.

"How could you?" he started to ask.

"Fitz, don't."

"Don't what? Don't ask Skye why she's carrying the child of a murderer?" Fitz demanded.

"This is why I didn't tell you." Skye told him in a small voice.

"I don't know how we could have missed it!"

"I knew you would over react."

"Over react? OVER REACT? Skye, do I need to remind you the _father_ of your child tried to kill me and Simmons on Garrett's orders? That he dropped us from a hundred feet in a capsule into the ocean and we survived by chance and that I was left permanently reminded of it?"

"What do you want me to say to you Fitz? That I fell for him and even when I knew who he was I couldn't help my feelings? That he, _like you_, thought that capsule would float and that if he hadn't dropped you out of the 'bus then all three of you would be at the bottom of the ocean with bullets in your skulls?"

Skye's outburst had the desired effect on Fitz and he calmed down enough to ask:

"Are you keeping it?"

"I haven't made my mind up yet."

"Does he know?"

"Yes."

"I take it May knows seen as though she hasn't gone ballistic yet. Does Coulson know?"

"Yes. That's why he's banned me from field work. He said I was a risk."

"That's why I was left with you both, to try and stop _this_ from happening." May said, tugging at her hands.

* * *

Ward landed the jet and headed out on foot. He knew what direction he needed to be in, but realised he would have to search all of the buildings one by one until he found them.

Then he saw something that made his skin crawl.

Whitehall.

Ward watched as he got into a jeep and set off down the road.

He got a gun out of his waistband and aimed it at the jeep before pulling the trigger. He hit his mark and the jeep came to a stop.

The driver got out and inspected the wheel Ward had just shot out. He said something to Whitehall and Ward watched as Whitehall took a gun and shot him.

Ward followed Whitehall into the building he was using, silently taking out the guards as he met them. He walked down the corridors, until he saw what he was looking for. Skye, May and Fitz were all in a room being guarded by Hydra agents and Whitehall was approaching them.

* * *

Whitehall stomped back into the room looking furious.

"I need my jeep's tyre changing. You and you, go do it. Then find me a new driver. The last one took a bullet to the head." Whitehall ordered, pointing at two of the guards.

He walked up and down in front of the three agents.

"You know you're going to die right?" Skye asked him.

"Is that right?"

"Yeah, but I guess you get to choose whether it's slow and painful or quick and easy."

"And what do _I_ have to do to make that choice?" Whitehall asked her with a smirk.

"Call the hit off."

"Still saving him. I heard what happened with your father. Does he know about your current condition?" Whitehall asked, shaking his head.

"I have no intention of telling him. Call the hit off."

"What hit?" Fitz asked, confused.

"The hit I placed on Ward's life when he ordered that crappy tin can of yours not to be shot out of the air. But here's a newsflash for you. I want Ward's head on a platter.

"You want Ward's head you'll have to take it yourself. He's not going to let your guys near him." May told him.

"Is this Agent May, fierce protector of everything good and SHIELD, _protecting_ her former lover?"

Fitz's jaw dropped to the floor.

"When the hell did you and Ward get it on?" he asked.

"My my my. How uninformed you are Agent Fitz. Come and work with me and I will never keep you out of the loop." Whitehall told him.

"It was after the Beserker staff incident. Only lasted until Loreli visited. It's not common knowledge." May told him.

"I knew _and _Coulson knew." Skye pointed out.

"Yeah, well I told Coulson didn't I?"

"ENOUGH!" Whitehall demanded.

He had no idea why the SHIELD agents were being so chatty, or why the famed Agent May was instigating it, but he was not aware May had seen a shadow creeping around the edges of the wall and was distracting him.

The first he knew of the shadow was a throwing star slicing through May's restraints.

That's when all hell broke loose.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Thankyou everyone! I have reached over 100 reviews in 25 chapters - A personal best!**

**It has been mentioned that I need to show you what Ward has been up to the last 12 weeks - I would like to know how many of you want to know? - and that the option of abortion after 12 weeks is not the mothers decision - ****I live in the UK where it is permitted up to 24 weeks (in case you were confused!)**

* * *

May tore her hands from the now loose bonds, pulled the throwing star out of the wall and launched it at the nearest guard before grabbing Skye and pulling her over to Fitz. While shielding Skye behind her, May attacked Fitz's hand ropes with ferocity and before long he was also free. Whitehall, in the commotion disappeared.

"What happened?"

"Ward, throwing stars." Skye told him

"How did he know to find us? How _did_ he find us?"

"I let him know we needed help." Skye explained "Why do you think May attacked the guard in the van."

They turned to face the room. Whitehall was gone, but all of his guards were on the floor, bleeding from various wounds, some of which had Ward's remaining throwing stars sticking out of them.

Ward himself was stood between them and the agents, looking at the door.

"You guys ok?" he asked.

"Do you realise how close you were to my goddamn hands?" May shouted at him, throwing the rope at the back of his head.

"I know exactly how close I was to your hands. Any higher or lower and I would have hit you." he retorted, ducking the rope.

"Will you two stop fighting long enough for us to get out of here?" Skye said, stalling their argument.

"We aren't fighting. If we were fighting there'd be more blood." Ward pointed out, taking Skye's hand and leading everyone to the door.

"Where's the power tools?" May asked under her breath, shepherding Fitz out and bringing up the rear.

"What are the options?" Skye asked.

"Option one, I take you back to the 'bus, we could be there in half an hour, or option two, we head to Paradise and get some sleep before going after Whitehall and disrupt his plans." Ward told them.

"We don't even know where or what his plans are! How do we disrupt them?"

"There's a rare solar flare occurring tomorrow and if you get the diviner in a certain place in Hawaii at a certain time then something cataclysmic is going to happen."

"And how do you know this?" Fitz asked him sarcastically.

"I listen to people before I kill them." Ward replied.

"Why can't we go back to Coulson and then go stop Whitehall?" Fitz asked.

"We might not make it in time if we go in the 'bus." May told him, knowing that they would make it in plenty of time, but going to Ward's safe house would allow him and Skye time to talk.

"So we go to the safe house, call Coulson and meet him Hawaii." Skye suggested as they crept down the corridor.

"Where is the safe house?" Fitz asked.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a safe house anymore would it?"

"So we go, get some food, have a sleep and spoil Whitehall's plans in the morning." May said.

"I'm going on record. I don't like this plan." Fitz said following them out of the door.

Ward led them back to the jet he was using and fired it up. Skye joined him in the cockpit.

"Are you ok? He didn't hurt you did he?"

"No. He realised I was pregnant and told them to leave me alone. If I did anything then May or Fitz would have taken a hit with the tazer." She replied.

"Why?" Ward asked. After all, Whitehall wasn't known for his compassion.

Skye had no answer.

* * *

"So we have no way of tracking them?" Bobbi asked.

"Short answer is no. Not without Skye or Fitz." Coulson replied.

"Damn. So how do we find them?" Hunter asked.

"I don't think we can." Coulson admitted.

"We found you didn't we?" Simmons pointed out.

"Skye found me, you guys just followed her guide."

"Oh yeah. We're screwed."

Coulson felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out, saw it was an unknown number, which meant he couldn't trace it.

He answered it and put it on loudspeaker so everyone else could hear.

"Hello?"

"Coulson, it's me!" May's voice cut through the sounds of an engine.

"May? Where the hell are you guys?" he demanded.

"We were taken by Hydra"

"I told you Ward was behind this." Simmons cut in.

"We were taken to distract you from a cataclysmic event in Hawaii tomorrow. Whitehall wanted you to be focussed on finding us rather than what he was up to."

"Skye and Fitz, are they alright?"

"Fitz has a bloody nose from walking into a door, but other than that we're all fine."

"How did you get out of there?" Coulson asked curiously.

If Whitehall had them they were sure to be bound and under armed guard.

May remained silent.

"May?" Coulson asked again, taking her off loudspeaker.

"Ward. " She finally said when she realised he'd taken her off loudspeaker. "Skye managed to sneak him a message while I distracted the guards. He came and got us out."

"The Cowboy going to be taking you to Hawaii?" Coulson asked, deciding that 'The Cowboy' would be an appropriate code name for Ward.

"Yeah. We'll meet you there. I think he said Kalaula Bay. You need to be there for 9."

"And why aren't you coming back here?"

"You'd shoot him, apparently the safe house is closer and it gives Skye time to spend with him. Listen I've got to go, we're about to land. See you tomorrow."

May hung up the phone and Coulson turned back to the rest of his team.

"They're fine. But they've taken a jet and are on their way to foil an event that could end the world."

* * *

"So this is your safe house?" May asked.

"Yeah. It's off both SHIELD's and Hydra's radars. There are two rooms which you guys can use. I'll stay on the sofa." Ward told them, leading them through to his safe house.

"There's no need for that. I'm sure Fitz and I can share." May told him.

"Why you and me?" Fitz asked.

"It's either me or him." May pointed out.

"I'm sure me and May can share." Fitz said, changing his mind.

"Who's hungry?" Ward asked.

"Ooo. Lasagne. Lasagne, Lasagne!" Skye said, squealing at the thought of Ward's homemade Lasagne.

"No. It's got..." Ward counted in his head, ticking the ingredients off on his fingers "Three things you're not currently allowed to eat."

"Wait, how do you know I'm not allowed to eat stuff? Oh, the Doc has a big mouth!" Skye protested, before realising Hayley had been in communication with Ward.

"I can do you spaghetti bolognaise as an alternative."

"Fine." Skye pouted, but followed him into the kitchen anyway.

* * *

"Are you sure you're ok?" Ward asked Skye concerned after they had all headed to their rooms

"I'm fine. I'm just a little tense." Skye told him, trying to stretch out her shoulders and upper back.

Ward coaxed her into a chair and helped her remove her top. She sat with her chest to the back of the chair while Ward started rubbing her shoulders, making her moan in delight as she could feel herself relax.

"Anywhere else?" he asked her as he felt the knots in her muscles melt away.

"Nowhere." She told him, leaning back slightly into his embrace.

"Are you sure?" he asked, placing a kiss behind her ear and trailing it down to her shoulder, making her shiver.

"I'm sure. I think I just want to sleep."

"Still not sleeping well?" Ward asked her, draping her shoulders with a robe.

"Better than I was, but still not well." Skye replied, getting off the chair and making her way over to the bed, slipping in between the covers.

Ward climbed in next to her and Skye snuggled into his embrace inhaling his scent.

"I want to do this." She whispered into his skin before turning over.

Ward wrapped his arms around Skye tighter and pulled her in closer, rubbing his hand over her bare stomach.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I've thought about nothing else since I found out, but this morning I saw the heartbeat and I was like, that's my child."

"You saw our baby's heartbeat?" Ward asked, his mouth dry and his voice cracking.

"I did. Hayley said it was good and strong."

"We're going to be parents." Ward said, not quite hiding the excitement and trepidation in his voice.

"Any chance you could get me some new clothes? I can't fit into anything anymore. I might have to borrow some of your elasticated sweat pants tomorrow."

"I'll give you a card you can use to get whatever you need. You'll need furniture and equipment and clothes for you and the baby and other stuff." He told her, kissing the top of her head.

* * *

The following morning Ward cooked them all breakfast and led them to the room where he kept all of his weapons. He let May take what she wanted and gave Fitz an Icer, knowing his preference for non lethal force. He loaded his body up again and gave Skye a gun so she could protect herself should she need to.

Ward and May had already agreed she would be kept well out of the way.

The four of them boarded Ward's jet and headed to Hawaii.


	27. Chapter 27

"Ward, go high with a sniper rifle; Fitz, wait outside for Coulson and come find me when he's arrived; Skye," May instructed.

"Yeah I know. Stay here in the jet out of the way where I'll be safe."

"And?"

"And don't move until I hear from you and Ward."

May tossed Ward a sniper rifle and he set off to get a position where he could see better, Fitz went to meet Coulson and May set off to infiltrate the building.

* * *

"Coulson!" Fitz shouted as he saw him approach the building.

"Fitz. You ok? Do we have a Sit Rep?"

"May's gone in. Skye's up top with a sniper rifle."

"Right. Let's get this done." Coulson said. "Bobbi, Hunter, in through the front. Find May and back her up. Simmons, Fitz, you're with me."

They went their separate ways.

"So I take it Skye's out of the way and it's Ward up top with a sniper rifle." Coulson asked Fitz in a low voice so Simmons wouldn't hear.

"Yeah. It doesn't exactly fill me with confidence."

"What doesn't?" Simmons asked.

"Skye's current shooting accuracy." Coulson told her.

"Oh."

* * *

May crept along the corridors trying to locate Whitehall.

She eventually found him in a corridor that had been dug down to reveal a panel. She knew that she had half an hour to prevent Whitehall putting the diviner onto the panel so she quickly constructed a plan.

She shot the four guards and as they hit the floor Whitehall looked up, slightly alarmed to see her there.

"SHIELD are here!" he said down his walkie talkie "I want you all to find them and kill them."

* * *

Simmons had noticed something out of the corner of her eye and on instinct had followed it.

Finding herself alone in the hallway she proceeded with caution, but very quickly found herself face to face with an armed Hydra agent.

Backing against a wall Simmons screwed her eyes tight shut, not wanting to see the satisfied smirk of the agent as he pulled the trigger.

_Bang_

* * *

Coulson and Fitz continued on their way, not noticing they had separated from Simmons. They traipsed corridor after corridor, but found nothing in their path.

It was starting to unnerve Coulson.

Up against Hydra they should have come up against _someone_.

That's when he saw Simmons was no longer with him and Fitz.

"Damn her." Coulson cursed in his head, knowing that she had grown more confident since he had sent her undercover but knew she was still nowhere near ready to be in the field on her own.

He caught Fitz's attention and indicated Simmons absence.

"Coulson, we need to go find her." Fitz voiced, trying to run ahead, but found himself being held back.

"We will, but I will go in front. You aren't armed."

Coulson went back in front and retraced their steps. They made it back to where he could have sworn he had last seen her.

He turned a corner and could see Simmons reflection in the window. He could see she was being advanced on.

_Bang_

"SIMMONS" Fitz yelled, before clamping a hand over his mouth.

Coulson looked at Fitz as his face drained of colour before racing into the corridor.

* * *

Hunter and Bobbi crept along the corridor they had found themselves in. They had seen a flash of May as she charged after Whitehall.

They could see an agent following her, so Bobbi got out her sticks and rendered the man unconscious using their electrical currents.

May heard the man drop to the floor and spun to face whatever was behind her, ready to strike, relaxing as she saw Bobbi and Hunter.

"You made it." May stated

"You can bet your ass we did." Bobbi replied with a devious grin.

They heard a gunshot.

"SIMMONS" they heard Fitz shout, before racing towards the sound of it.

* * *

Ward had been tracking Coulson, Fitz and Simmons through his sights, as he knew May was more capable of taking care of herself than Fitz and Simmons were.

He saw Simmons break off and head down a corridor so he decided to track her.

Before long she had come face to face with an armed agent and Ward watched as she prepared to die.

"Not on my watch" he muttered to himself as he realigned his sight.

It would be tight, but he thought if anyone could do it, it would be him. Taking a deep breath, Ward played with the trigger, waiting for the perfect moment to present itself.

He watched as the agent slowly aimed his gun at Simmons. Clearly he wanted to make it as long and torturous as possible, but it gave Ward a spilt second where he could react.

He pulled the trigger.

The bullet flew straight and true and hit the agent in the eye socket. He dropped to the ground immediately.

* * *

Simmons froze at the sound of the gunshot before realising she was still standing and didn't appear to be in any pain.

Hesitantly she opened her eyes to find the agent dead in front of her, a bullet through his eye.

A split second later Coulson and Fitz burst into the corridor.

Fitz, seeing Simmons was unhurt, ran straight at her and enveloped her in a hug while Coulson inspected the body.

He looked up and behind Fitz and Simmons, through the shattered window to a building over 100 feet away where he saw the flash of a sight and immediately knew Ward was watching them.

May, Hunter and Bobbi came running around the corridor as Fitz let go of a still startled Simmons. They saw the scene before them.

"Skye's clearly improved with that sniper rifle." Hunter said, looking at the body and feeling impressed by the deathly accuracy the shot had hit him with.

May checked her watch.

"Guys. We have thirty seconds to stop Whitehall placing the diviner on that plate." She told them.

They looked at each other, quickly realising they'd failed.

"Where's Fitz?" Simmons asked.

* * *

Fitz saw May, Hunter and Bobbi come into the corridor and realised that no one was after Whitehall or protecting the plate anymore.

He looked at his watch.

They only had two minutes left.

He looked at the team and set off towards the spot May had told them Whitehall and the plate had been. He made it in time to see Whitehall pick the diviner up with a pair of tongs and get it into position.

He had no idea what he would do - he only had the icer Ward had given him, which wouldn't be enough with his accuracy levels.

So with no plan, Fitz stepped forwards, his body more confident than his mind.

"Agent Fitz. How nice of you to come and witness the destruction of, well, pretty much South America and this fine Island as well." Whitehall goaded him.

"I won't let you do that." Fitz told them, his voice calm. The agents that were with Whitehall all aimed their guns at him.

Whitehall smirked at Fitz and began to lower the Diviner towards the plate. He was ten seconds off and halfway there when something struck him in the wrist making him drop it and a gunshot went off altering the path of the falling diviner so it landed on the floor next to the plate.

"NNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Whitehall yelled, grabbing his wrist, his eyes widening as he saw the diviner hit the floor as the clock struck nine.

Fitz could just make out the small object sticking out of Whitehall's wrist before he felt a strong hand wrap around his wrist and pull.

* * *

Ward watched as May, Bobbi and Hunter arrived in the corridor before witnessing Fitz leaving. He knew what Fitz was about to do, and also knew it would get him killed. Tossing his rifle to one side Ward sprang to his feet and ran as fast as he could after Fitz. He knew he had limited time to get to him and stop Whitehall.

He arrived in the corridor and fished a throwing star out of his pocket. He threw the star was very satisfied when it hit Whitehall centrally in the wrist.

Suddenly realising his mistake, Ward pulled his gun out of his waistband and fired at the diviner which was on a one way trip to the plate they were trying to avoid.

His shot connected with the ancient artifact and did enough to alter its trajectory so it landed on the marble floor next to the plate with a satisfying noise.

Knowing Fitz's life was still in danger, Ward raced to his side, grabbed him by the wrist and pulled.

Fitz, realising Ward had just saved all their lives, allowed him to pull him into a recess that had a hidden tunnel attached to it. Fitz barely cleared the entrance when a barrage of bullets went flying at the point where he had just been standing.

Ward led him down the tunnel, trying to stay out of sight while leading Fitz back to the others.

"How do you know about this place?" Fitz whispered.

"When I got you guys out yesterday I saw all of the plans. This and a few other tunnels were on it. I doubt Hydra realised what they were though. But we need to hurry, just in case I'm wrong." Ward told him in a hushed reply, quickening his pace.

They reached the end of the tunnel and Ward hesitantly pushed the door open, not knowing what he would find on the other side.

He peered out and checked the corridor. It was clear, he pulled Fitz out after him and led him down each of the corridors until they got to the one where Coulson and the others were.

"Hey Ward!" Fitz whispered so the others couldn't hear him "Thanks, for you know, saving my life back there."

He stuck his hand out.

"Any time. I hope this goes some way towards making it up to you." Ward replied, taking his hand and shaking it.

Fitz watched as Ward dashed back to his post before he himself headed back in towards the team.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: I know this chapter is a little short, but I thought what happens next didn't fit in it!**

**And NothatRose - I try to update as much as possible, but sometimes once a day is just not possible! ;)**

* * *

"Where the hell did you go?" Coulson demanded.

"I'll tell you later, but right now, we have to leave." Fitz told them.

"What's?" Bobbi started to ask before she saw shadows approaching them.

Coulson and Hunter shepherded Fitz and Simmons away from the approaching shadows while Bobbi and May remained behind to provide them a little more time to escape.

Racing as fast as they could, they made it out and threw themselves into the cars they had arrived in. Coulson, with Fitz and Simmons set off back towards the bus and safety while Hunter waited for May and Bobbi who were soon catching up to them. They hurled themselves into the car and Hunter set off, barely waiting for them to close the door as they were being chased by gun toting Hydra agents.

He didn't see Ward shoot at them to buy them some time, but thought the bullets were aimed at them.

May fished a phone out of her pocket and dialled a number.

"Skye, we're clear. You have 45 minutes to get to point bravo."

"Copy that." Ward replied before snapping the phone shut.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Ward was sat by the jet at the rendezvous point, his arms wrapped around Skye as they lay basking in the glorious sunshine.

They weren't speaking to each other because neither of them wanted to say goodbye.

So they just lay there.

Ward's watch beeped.

They were out of time.

"I can't say goodbye." Skye moaned, a tear slipping down her cheek.

"Don't think of it as goodbye, more like 'I'll see you later'." Ward told her, wiping away the tear with his thumb before leaning in to kiss her.

Ward got to his feet and helped Skye up.

"You look stupid in those sweats by the way." He joked, noticing that Skye was still wearing his sweat pants like she had threatened to do the previous night.

"Right now I don't care. They fit me around the belly and they don't pinch." She retorted, smacking him lightly on the arm.

He caught her hand and placed a card in it.

"This is an untraceable account. There should be enough money in there for what you need. Sign the back and you'll be ready to go." He told her.

"Thankyou." She said, pulling him into another kiss.

The phone started ringing.

"You better go." Ward told her. He headed back to his jet and climbed in. He fired up the engine and slowly, and even though Skye couldn't see it, circled around the park.

Within minutes May landed the jet on the circle of grass Ward's jet had been occupying. The cargo ramp door was opened and, even though she'd rather be with the man who'd just left right now, she climbed the ramp and headed to the lounge.

"Hey Skye! That was some shooting." Simmons told her as she belted in for take off.

"Hmm?" Skye asked.

"You ok? Your eyes look a little watery."

"I'm fine. Just got something in them."

* * *

"Fitz. I want a word. My office." Coulson said after they had landed back at the playground.

Fitz followed Coulson and May to his office, not taking his eyes off the floor. He knew he would be in some sort of trouble.

"Take a seat Fitz."

Fitz sat down at the desk and waited for the outburst.

"I don't want to know why you thought you could do that alone, but I do want to know what happened.

"I've already told you what happened. Whitehall dropped the diviner and couldn't pick it up in time to place it on the, the, the..." Fitz told him, unable to think of the word he wanted.

"Panel." May prompted.

"Yes. That's it. Panel."

"How did he drop it?" Coulson probed.

"It slipped out of the tongs he was using to hold it." Fitz lied.

"And that's why we heard a gunshot and then a full on weapons assault?"

"What happened Fitz?" May asked him.

"It was Ward. He arrived just before Whitehall put the diviner on the thing. He put a star in his wrist which made Whitehall drop the diviner. Ward shot the diviner, I think because it was going to land right where we didn't want it. Anyway, the diviner landed on the floor and Ward got me out of there before Hydra turned me into red mist." Fitz finally admitted.

"A star?" Coulson asked.

"Throwing Star, seems they're his weapon of choice." May answered.

"Really?"

"He's incredibly handy with them. When he got us out he managed to take out four guards with one star, slicing through my bindings with another."

"Must be his hand eye coordination thing."

"Can I ask about Skye?" Fitz queried.

"What about her?"

"Well I know about the, well, you know. But what's going on with that?"

"She's 12 weeks, keeping it and getting really grumpy because clothes that fit her yesterday don't today. That's why she was wearing a pair of Ward's sweats." May told them.

"When was _that_ decided?" Coulson asked.

"They talked. I think she actually made the decision when she had her scan the other day."

Coulson groaned.

"If you don't want her, or it here I'm sure she'd happily go live in Ward's safe house." May pointed out.

"Wait, is this why the Doc keeps coming here?" Fitz said, realisation dawning on him.

"Yes. The only other people that know are in this room." Coulson told Fitz.


	29. Chapter 29

"Come on Skye. You were the one that wanted to do this." Fitz said as he walked through down the store's aisle.

"I don't want to, but I have nothing that fits. Not even pants." Skye moaned, catching up to him.

"So what is you're looking for?"

"Anything that fits that also helps disguise the bump that's going to start appearing any day now."

"Horizontal strips? I heard they're slimming." Fitz suggested, getting a teddy bear thrown at his face as he did.

"Ok. I also need something that is more me." Skye pointed out, looking at the rack of frilly baby girl clothes.

"Do you know what you're having yet?" the shopkeeper asked approaching them as Skye ran the dress through her hands.

"Not yet." Skye admitted.

"Then I would recommend getting gender neutral clothes until you do."

"I'm not actually here for baby clothes; I'm here for bump hiding maternity ones."

"Hey what's this?" Fitz asked, taking a device off a shelf and squeezing the bulbous end of it.

"That is a breast pump. It's for extracting spare milk from the mother's breasts." The shopkeeper told him.

Upon hearing the word 'breasts' Fitz juggled with the pump and before dropping it, while Skye giggled behind the shopkeeper.

Blushing violently, Fitz picked the pump off the floor, straightened and replaced it on the shelf.

"The clothes you are looking for are right this way."

Skye and Fitz followed the woman to the other side of the store where there was row upon row of clothing with expanding waistbands.

Skye picked out a number of pairs of pants and went to the changing rooms.

"Fitz! I'm coming out. Please don't laugh!" Skye called before pulling the curtain back and showing Fitz the pants she was trying on.

"They look good."

"Can you tell I've put on weight?"

"Not at all."

"How about now?" Skye asked, lifting her top above her waist, showing off the feint suggestion of a baby bump.

"Now you can." Fitz said distracted.

The shopkeeper handed Skye some Velcro pouches to fasten around her stomach to mimic a bigger bump while the she picked out some tops for Skye to try on.

Fitz headed over to the item that had distracted him. It was a baby outfit that had a hood, monkey ears and a tail (which Fitz noticed was anatomically incorrect as it was coming out of the side, he reasoned it was to make it comfortable for the baby to wear). The entire outfit was covered in fake fur.

"Fitz?" Skye called from the changing area.

He dropped the monkey outfit and headed back over towards her. She looked really grumpy stood there in a frilly purple top that accentuated the fake bump.

"Definitely not." He told her, which cheered her up slightly.

Skye headed back into the changing room and changed the top.

Half an hour later Skye had (with the help of Fitz) selected a number of items that would fit her for the duration of her pregnancy, while also hide her baby bump for as long as possible. Fitz put them on the cash desk so Skye could pay for them.

"Do you need anything else? Have you thought about a nursery yet?" the shopkeeper asked them as she scanned the clothes and placed them all in bags.

Skye looked at Fitz and realised that she needed to discuss a nursery option with Coulson.

"We'll just take the clothes for now." Fitz answered.

* * *

"Skye. How do you think we're going to get all of these bags back to your room with all of these bags that have 'Maggie's Baby Store' all over them?" Fitz asked as they sneaked through the door.

"Distraction?" Skye suggested.

"What, I alter the way they're looking and you carry them all?" Fitz asked.

"Something like that."

The two of the hurried down the corridors carrying half the bags each.

"Skye!" she heard Simmons call.

Fitz took the bags off her quickly and continued towards Skye's room.

"Simmons? What's up?"

"I thought you and Fitz were going out shopping?"

"We did. We already got everything. I was just heading to your Lab to drop off your Jelly Beans." Skye told her, putting her hand in her pocket and pulling out a large bag of sweets and handing them to Simmons.

"Thanks Skye. I didn't think you'd remember them. No one ever seems to."

"I know you like them." Skye said, suddenly having an urge to pee. "Listen. I'm busting, so I'll catch up with you later."

Skye ran towards the bathroom and relieved herself. She made it to her room to find Fitz had removed all of the clothes from their bags and put them, folded on the bed, disposing of the bags too.

Smiling, Skye changed into some of her new clothes and put the others in her closet.

* * *

"Coulson?" Skye asked later that evening, knocking on his office door.

"Skye. Come in. I see your mission was accomplished." He told her, looking her up and down.

"Yeah, but the girl in the store asked me something I thought I'd better discuss with you."

"What did she ask you?"

"She asked me if I needed anything for the nursery. I mean I hadn't even thought about a nursery or anything like that."

"So you want to know what?"

"Is there a room I can use as a nursery?" Skye asked him.

"I'm sure we can find one." Coulson reassured her.

Skye smiled at him and walked over to him before wrapping her arms around him and giving him a hug.

"You do know before you get furniture for and decorate a nursery, you will have to tell the others." Coulson warned her.

"I know. I'm still working on how to do that."

"Try just telling them." Coulson advised her, squeezing her shoulders.

"Oh, sorry." May said, opening the door.

"It's ok. What do you need?" Coulson replied, pulling away from Skye.

"I'm taking the jet out for a run." May told him

"Why?" Coulson asked suspiciously.

"Need to go pick the doctor up."

Coulson moved his gaze from May to Skye.

"It's not for me." Skye told him defensively.

"Very well. Just, take Fitz with you. I think he could use some air after shopping with this one." Coulson told her, waving his hand at Skye.

"If one of you had come with me he would have been saved." Skye pointed out as she headed towards the door.

* * *

"I don't know why they came after me. I just saw them and ran." Hayley told May as she tended to the cuts on Hayley's face.

"Could have something to do with your brother. He kind of put a throwing star into a Hydra leaders wrist foiling a plan to destroy most of South America."

"That might have done it." Hayley replied, flinching as May dabbed her face with alcohol. "What do I do? It's not like I can go home."

"I'll talk to Coulson about you staying here."

"I doubt he'd buy it."

"He will when I'm through with him." May promised.

"Thanks May. How is Skye anyway? I've not spoken to her since the scan."

"She's seen your brother, they've talked and she is now wearing clothes that fit her so she's a little happier than she was wearing his sweats."

"Just tell me she's wearing a bra again."

May laughed as she stitched the cut she had bathed.

"I think she is."


	30. Chapter 30

"It's a fairly easy re-con mission, so I'm only going to send May, Fitz and Skye in." Coulson explained to the team during a briefing.

"Why?"

"Because Fitz is the only one who can plant the bug, Skye is the only one who can hack the system to allow him to plant the bug and May is May, besides, Hunter and Bobbi are out." Coulson told them, putting an end to their questioning.

Glaring at him May waited until everyone else had left.

"Simple re-con. And you're sending me in with _Fitz_?" May demanded.

"You're the only one left who can get him in."

"I don't like this." May stated.

"Then find someone else. Oh, and take the Doctor to keep an eye on Skye. It's a long flight." Coulson told her.

Begrudgingly, May left the room to find Skye and Fitz. They were waiting for her by the stealth jet.

"You ok?" Fitz asked her.

"I don't like this. We have no backup."

"Me either. I have no idea how I'm going to fit the listening device with my hand."

"Skye, I want the phone, and Coulson says we're taking Hayley."

"What? Does he think I'm going to run into trouble?" Skye asked, digging the phone out of her boot and passing it to May.

"No. He just wants to make sure nothing happens to you with the flying thing."

"I'll be fine. I can still fly."

"Coulson wants to be safe so will you please just get her." May instructed.

Skye went to find Hayley while May dialled 1 on the speed dial.

"Skye?" Ward asked hesitantly.

"Not quite. Listen Cowboy, I need a favour."

"What sort of favour?"

"Coulson is sending me in with Fitz and the only back up available is going to be Skye. You in?"

"Is the Pope a Catholic? Meet you in ninety minutes at Tijuana Airport." Ward replied, hanging up.

"Right. That's backup sorted." May told Fitz just as Skye and Hayley arrived. "Alright, everyone on board."

* * *

Ninety minutes later they had arrived at Tijuana airport and they were just waiting for Ward to arrive.

"Where is he?" May demanded, getting fidgety

"I'm sure he'll be here." Skye reassured her.

"HE was the one that said ninety minutes."

Skye smiled as she fished the phone back out of her boot. She was just about to dial Ward when there was a rattle on the side of the jet.

May fingered the trigger of her gun lovingly, preparing herself mentally for a trap as she lowered the ramp of the jet.

"Sorry I'm late. I was getting supplies and set off when you rang, but I couldn't get the damn car started." Ward told them, slowly heading up the lowered ramp.

"Well now you're here we can set off." May replied, lowering her gun and closing the ramp.

She quickly had the jet in the air.

"Where are we going anyway?" Ward asked allowing Skye to cuddle into his embrace.

"Top Secret Research Facility in Denmark." Skye told him.

"And we are doing what exactly?"

"We as in Fitz is placing a listening device so we can spy, you and I are going to make sure he makes it out in one piece and Skye is going to run interference from here where Hayley is also going to stay."

"So we have a six hour flight to kill time on." Fitz said, pulling a pack of cards out of his pocket.

* * *

Ward, May and Fitz were creeping down the corridors to the central hub where all of the communications were supposed to travel through guided there by Skye.

Every time they reached an intersection Skye would tell them if it was clear to cross it or not, but Ward and May checked it anyway to be on the safe side.

Once or twice they had to incapacitate guards and hide their limp bodies in convenient cupboards before they continued on their path.

They were in the building for ten minutes before they reached the target.

"Fitz! Get in here and do your thing." May hissed at him.

Fitz raced forwards while May and Ward guarded the two doors that led into the room.

Fitz spread his tools out on the roll up carry mat he had brought and set them in the order he would need them.

"How long do you need?" Ward asked him.

"The last time I did something like this I had six minutes. So, ten minutes give or take."

Fitz unscrewed the panel that covered the section of wiring that he would need access to and started fingering quickly through the wiring to find the ones he needed.

Finding the first one he quickly snipped it before trying to find the next one.

He carried on like this for a few minutes, before preparing the listening in device to be connected to them.

"Do you hear that?" May asked.

"Hear what?" Ward asked her.

"All I can hear is my heart beat thudding in my ears." Fitz admitted.

"It sounds like a ticking." May told him, looking around her for the source.

Ward looked at her, then back to Fitz. He pulled a spray from his back pocket, and abandoning his post by the door walked over to Fitz and sprayed the empty space around his hands.

A laser grid immediately became visible.

"Our intel said there were no booby traps." Fitz told him.

Ward turned and ran towards May. As he got closer he could make out the ticking noise got louder and louder.

"Fitz, abort and get your ass down!" Ward yelled. He made it halfway across the room when there was an explosion that rattled the doors and windows along the corridor rattled in their frames.

Ward was blown backwards off his feet and hit the wall with a thump.

"MAY!" he coughed when the dust had settled a little.

* * *

**A/N: I know this one is also a little shorter, but I wanted to leave you all in suspense!**


	31. Chapter 31

"May?" Ward yelled again scrabbling to his feet.

"Ward?" he could hear Fitz yell through the ringing in his ears.

"Fitz. You ok?"

"I'm ok."

"Have you seen May?"

"No!"

Ward looked around the room, shielding his eyes from the remaining dust. He saw a hand sticking out from under some debris.

May.

Ward ran over to her side and threw the sheet off her. She was barely conscious, bleeding from multiple wounds to her stomach and chest.

"Fitz. We need to get out of here!" Ward shouted, hauling May to her feet and dragging her to the door. Fitz, seeing Ward struggle a little went to help.

He knew that they would leave a trail of blood out of there, but he was also hopeful that they would be long gone before anyone noticed.

"Skye, hack May's file. We need to know her blood type." Ward ordered.

"Will do. What the hell happened?"

"Bomb."

"Bomb?" Skye shrieked.

"Yes Skye, big bomb that went boom. Just pull up the information."

Ward and Fitz came face to face with three armed guards. Ward shot a look at Fitz, who immediately took May's weight, releasing Ward. It was over before it really began. Even in his rattled state, Ward was deadly in his blows and meticulous in his accuracy and he rejoined Fitz, taking his share of May's weight and they continued towards the door and safety.

* * *

Skye lowered the ramp to allow Ward and Fitz to drag May up it. Fitz took her weight and gently lowered her to the floor while Ward went to the cockpit and got the jet to the safety of the air. He put it in stealth mode for added security and set it onto autopilot on a course back to the USA.

He headed to the back to find Hayley inspecting her wounds.

"She's lost a lot of blood and I have no instruments. I can slow the bleeding, but unless we get some blood back in her she's not going to make it."

"I'm still working on what her blood type is." Skye cried frustrated.

Ward sat down next to her and started rubbing small circles on her lower back which forced her into relaxing a little.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard as Hayley began using string she had found in a cupboard to tie off the majority of bleeding blood vessels that she could see.

"Ah Ha! Got it. She's AB Negative." Skye exclaimed and Fitz immediately began to rifle through the small collection of blood they stored on board.

"Great. Except we have none!"

Hayley looked at Ward.

"Fitz. You think you can fly this thing back to the States?" Ward asked.

"I have no idea. I can give it a try. Why?"

Ward laid himself down across the seats and Hayley immediately started searching for a vein. Once she had found one she inserted a needle into his arm and attached a flexible tube to the needle.

"I'm going to go and get acquainted with the cockpit." Fitz told them, turning slightly green as Hayley started drawing blood out of Ward and down the tube.

She made sure there was no air in it before attaching the other end of the tube to a needle in May's arm, gravity making the blood flow from Ward to May.

Hayley set it up so that the blood transfusion wouldn't drown May's tissues, and so that she wouldn't take too much from Ward in the process.

"You have the same blood type!" Skye said realising what was happening.

"We are. Not that I think she knows it yet." Ward told her.

Hayley covered them both in blankets and went to go and check on Fitz to make sure he was alright.

Skye moved and sat on the seats, resting Ward's head on her lap.

"Skye! You're covered in blood!" Ward exclaimed trying to get up.

"Relax! It's not mine. I'm guessing it's more than likely May's." Skye said, trying to force his head back down onto her lap.

* * *

"We're landing!" Fitz yelled.

Hayley quickly closed the end of the needle in Ward's arm, removed the tube and closed the end of May's needle before taking her seat.

"So we all know what we're doing?" she asked as Ward sat up.

"We do." Skye said.

Fitz landed the jet. It was a little bumpier than usual, but he landed it safely. Skye immediately lowered the hatch and Fitz raced out of the cockpit and between him and Ward they picked May up again and dragged her towards medical.

Skye ran ahead opening all of the doors in their way to let them through.

They ignored all of the cries, shouts and screams as they passed, their only intent was to get May to somewhere Hayley could operate on her.

Coulson saw Ward and Fitz race past with an unconscious May between them and ran towards them to catch them up.

He followed them towards medical and saw Ward and Fitz drag her into the sterile room they were using as an operating room. He saw them struggle to heave her onto the table so he rushed forwards to help. Through the window he could see Hayley scrubbing.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Bomb." Ward told him.

Coulson could see he was weak and assumed it was as a result of the blast.

"If you want to stay in here at least wear a mask." Hayley told them, entering the room and setting up the anaesthesia for May so she wouldn't regain consciousness while being operated on.

Coulson and Fitz immediately put masks over their mouths as Simmons washed her hands to help with May.

"Can someone get me three units of AB negative please?" Hayley asked.

Coulson rifled through the blood bank and round what she needed. He passed it to Hayley who attached one of them to the needle in May's arm.

Simmons entered the room and between them they covered May's body with surgical sheets and wiped iodine all over her torso and abdomen.

Hayley picked up a scalpel and began extending the wounds and removing the pieces of metal that caused them and stitching the major blood vessels closed while cauterising others.

"WARD!" Skye screamed.

Coulson turned to face them to find Ward slumped on the floor being propped up by the wall, his eyes half closed and beginning to roll backwards.

"Get him on a table." Hayley told Fitz and Coulson.

They obliged, and each gripping him under an arm they hauled him onto the table next to May.

"Simmons. Give him a unit of blood." Hayley ordered.

Simmons didn't move.

"Simmons!" Coulson yelled.

She still didn't move.

"I'll do it." Fitz said, racing to the blood cupboard and finding a unit of blood that matched.

He got back to Ward and hung the bag on a spare stand.

"Do you know how?" Hayley asked him.

"Yes."

Fitz tried to uncap the needle and attach the tube of blood to it, but his hands were shaking too violently.

"Coulson, come and hold this." Hayley told him.

Coulson went over to Hayley and took the required instrument off her, holding it exactly how she had shown him. Hayley went to her brother and quickly attached the blood to him.

"Get him on a monitor." She told Fitz as she went back to May.

When the _beep beep_ of Ward's heart rate appeared on screen Skye started hyperventilating.

"Coulson, take Skye and go calm her down. Hyperventilating like that isn't good for her. Fitz, do you think you could take care of him?"

Coulson guided a hysterical Skye out of the room and towards his office while Fitz cut off Ward's clothes, bathed his skin lacerations and covered him with a blanket. He took a clipboard and started making notes.

"His blood pressure is ninety over fifty." Fitz pointed out.

"That's a little low." Hayley said as she tackled a bleeding vessel that she had been forced to tie off on the jet. "We might have siphoned him for a little too long. Just make sure he has blood going into him and it should come back up."

"Is that a shoelace you just took out of May's intestine?" Simmons asked.

"Yeah. I ran out of string."

* * *

"Skye what happened?" Coulson asked her softly, passing her a cup of chamomile tea.

"I don't know!" She cried.

"Well just tell me what you do know. I can get Fitz to fill in the rest later."

"There was some sort of bomb in the room. Ward and Fitz got May out and Fitz flew us back here because the only way to keep May alive was to transfuse blood out of Ward and into May because they're the same blood type."

"Which explains why Ward collapsed. I'm sure he'll be fine." Coulson reassured her.

"He'll be fine until someone tries to kill him for being here. OH MY GOD! They're all going to think he did that to May!." Skye pointed out.

* * *

**A/N: won't be able to update for a while... sustained serious burn injuries to my hand in a freak kitchen accident... will update when I'm a little less mummified!**


	32. Chapter 32

Ward came to as Hayley was prodding his face.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked her groggily.

"I'm just checking your facial wounds are healing."

"How's May and Skye?"

"May'sstill out of it, but she'll be fine in a few weeks. Skye is slightly emotional, but you can't really blame her and you will be fine in a couple of days, as long as you stay in this nice warm comfy bed." She told him

"What if I want to pee?" he asked, but before Hayley could reply he was deeply asleep.

* * *

"I can't believe you saved his life!" Simmons said to Fitz.

"Simmons. You need to drop it." He replied

"Drop it? DROP IT?" AFTER WHAT HE DID TO YOU? TO US? YOU GO AND SAVE HIS LIFE LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED!"

"Calm down. A lot's happened since he disappeared." Fitz told her.

"LIKE WHAT?"

"In the last two weeks he has saved my life three times. He's saved yours too."

Simmons faltered in her verbal assault on Fitz.

"What do you mean he saved my life?"

"Skye wasn't on the other end of that sniper rifle." Fitz informed her before leaving the Lab.

* * *

"How is she?" Coulson asked Hayley as he stopped by medical.

"She'll be fine. I need to stay tonight to make sure her chest tubes don't get blocked up."

"What was the damage?"

"Loss of blood, lots of lacerations, I removed what looked like half the bomb from her stomach and chest. I've sent that to Fitz in the lab to be analysed. One of her lungs also collapsed while we were working on her, but that was an easy fix. Her BP and pulse are holding steady but are still a little low. I'm going to keep feeding her blood until they stabilise and improve a little more."

"How long before?"

"Minimum of six weeks."

"You want to keep Melinda May inactive for six weeks."

"I don't want to. I know what she means to you and your team, but if she does any form of physical activity in the next six weeks she could be back on the table with internal bleeding."

"What about him?"

"He'll be fine. He's just sleeping off the loss of blood. His blood pressure is slowly improving and he's already been awake long enough to growl at me. He just needs to stay off his feet for a couple of days, so don't put him through anything until I clear him."

"What should I do about him?" Coulson wondered aloud.

"I wouldn't advise locking him up. It might upset Skye. You could just accidentally take your eyes off him and let him escape, or dare I say it, let him stay, help and be a part of his child's life?" Hayley suggested.

Coulson looked at her as if she were insane.

* * *

"Skye?" Fitz asked, knocking on her door and going into her room

"Yeah?" she replied, trying to hide her nose running and the tears pouring from her eyes.

"You ok?"

"I'm fine."

"No your not." He told her, sitting next to her on the bed.

"It's just been a crazy day." She laughed.

"And you're emotional so everything seems like ten times worse!" he told her pulling her into a hug.

"You got hurt?" She asked him, feeling the rough lump of skin under her cheek.

"I'm fine. It's all superficial. The doctor checked me over on the jet."

* * *

"Simmons? What's wrong?" Hunter asked her when she slammed a pile of papers onto the desk.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? What's wrong is that Ward is back in the building. Not only is he not in his cell, he's not even handcuffed, and no one seems to give a damn." She spat at him.

"What the hell happened?"

"I have no idea, but the jet landed and he dragged May out of it. She was in a bad way. It's a good job Hayley was here otherwise I don't think she would have made it."

"He hurt her?"

"I have no idea, but it wouldn't surprise me."

* * *

"So what happened? Why did you pick up Ward?" Coulson asked Fitz as he debriefed him and Skye in his office.

"May was concerned about us going in alone and called him to see if he was up for it. We picked him up and we set off. We got there and Skye guided us into the central server. Ward and May managed to cover up our tracks on the way in. I took the panel off the server, it looked clean like out intel suggested, so I started playing with the wires to find the right ones. May told us she could hear ticking which me and Ward couldn't. He left the door he was guarding and sprayed something into the hole I was working on. The spray showed us it was booby trapped with a laser grid. Ward told me to duck and he ran towards May. I think she'd seen what was going on because she'd moved away from the door, but she hadn't moved far enough and the bomb went off. I was protected under a table, Ward was thrown against a wall and May was buried under debris. We got her out and left as quickly as we could." Fitz rambled.

"I'll ask Hayley to give him an X-Ray. If he was thrown against a wall he could have broken something." Coulson told him and Skye.

"They're going to be ok though right?" Skye asked.

"They're holding their own."

* * *

"Where am I?" May asked as her eyes opened, revealing a blurry room.

"You're back at the playground." Coulson told her softly, pressing the button to call Hayley.

"My head hurts." May mumbled.

"I'm surprised at that. I would have expected your chest and stomach to hurt more."

"How am I still alive?" she asked, the room coming into focus.

"Pretty much because of Ward."

"Huh?"

"What do you remember?"

"I remember Ward telling Fitz to get down, I remember moving away from the ticking sound and then burning white hot pain."

"Ward and Fitz got you out of the building and back to the jet. Hayley did her magic, but they had none of your blood type, but as it happens Ward and you share a blood type so Hayley siphoned blood out of him and put it into you which was enough to get you back here, operate and pump you both full of blood again." Coulson told her.

"Eurgh, no. I have Ward blood in me!" May groaned.

"It was either that or die." Ward told her from the other side of the room.

"Right now I think I'll take dying."

"Tough luck. I'm too good at my job for that." Hayley told her as she arrived in the room.

She immediately began checking her vital statistics.

"What's the verdict Doc?" Coulson asked.

"Same as it was twenty minutes ago, just this time she's awake. How's the pain?"

"My head hurts."

"That's because you lost a lot of blood. I'll give you a pain killer which should help. As for him" Hayley said, nodding to Ward "the X Rays I took shows he has a hairline fracture to one of his lumbar vertebrae."

"What does that mean?" Ward asked.

"You have a small fracture to your lower back. Probably occurred when you hit the wall."

"I broke my back?" ward asked a little shocked.

"It's nothing to worry about but the only time you are allowed out of bed is to pee, otherwise it won't heal. Same goes for you May, but you will need support so call me using your button."

"I have to have help to pee?" May groaned again.

"It's either me or Coulson." Hayley threatened.

"Fine. I'll call if I need the bathroom. By the way. How's Skye?"

"She's fine."

* * *

**A/N: My fingers are getting better but typing is still a little difficult as they are still bandaged up for a couple more days - TIP: DON'T pour boiling water over your fingers, even by accident... it hurts! I now have blistered fingers that I can barely use so the next chapter might take a few more days!**

**Thank you to everyone who wished me a speedy recovery.**

**I also updated the last chapter before I burned my fingers - I added the Author's note after...**

**BUT here is the new chapter and from now on I'm going to add how far along Skye is at the top... **


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: I'm back, but I have a lot of catching up to do so updates may take a little while to settle down again and as for my hand – I just need some heavily intensive moisturiser to try and soften the skin where I burned (which is now starting to peel - lovely!) and WHOOP you have taken me to 150 reviews! I look forward to the next 50 ;)**

**This chapter is a continuation of the previous one and Skye is at 15 weeks.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"So I will take Hunter and Bobbi with me to check out this lead and the rest of you will stay here and keep out of trouble." Coulson said as he explained the latest mission.

"Won't you need Skye as technical support?" Simmons asked.

"No, we have all we need. And I do feel the need to tell you all NOT to go to medical. I know you have hostile feelings towards Ward, but leave him alone."

Coulson stared at each of the agents he was leaving behind in turn, trying to decide which ones would disobey him. When he saw Skye he saw her hand fly to her stomach.

"You are all dismissed, Hunter, Bobbi, meet me at the 'bus in ten minutes. Skye, a word."

Skye waited behind while the rest of the team headed out of the door.

"You ok?" Coulson asked her concerned.

"I think so, I've just been having these weird feelings in my stomach for the last couple of hours."

"Get Hayley to check it out." Coulson suggested.

"Was planning to." She replied as she headed towards the door before turning back to him. "This no one in medical while you're gone, does that include me?"

"For now. As they don't know, it would be advisable not to be seen to be so friendly towards him."

"Ok." Skye replied, a little crestfallen.

She headed out of the door and made her way to the office Coulson had told Hayley that she could use. She knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

Skye opened the door and went and sat down on the bed.

"Skye! What's up?"

"I've been having these really weird feelings in my stomach and I thought I should have you check them out."

"What sort of weird feelings?"

"It's hard to explain."

"Is it like a butterfly flapping its wings?" Hayley asked.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Skye asked suspiciously.

"It sounds like the baby is starting to move and change position."

"I thought they kick?"

"You should read that book and information I gave you. Yes, they kick but not until around the 20 week mark, before then around 15 or 16 weeks it feels like wings fluttering inside you. But, if you're worried, lie back, lift your top and I will give you a quick scan to ease your mind."

Skye laid back into the bed and lifted her top, waiting for the ice cold gel to be applied. She was getting used to it now so she didn't flinch as much as she did the first time Hayley squirted it onto her.

Hayley moved the wand around and pointed out the different parts of the body to Skye.

"It all seems fine."

The images on the screen shifted at the same time Skye felt the fluttering in her stomach. She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"Like I said, it's just movement. And you better start getting used to it, seems like you have a wriggler!" Hayley joked.

Skye wiped the gel off and jumped down off the table.

"Thanks Hayley."

"Anytime. I have to go and see to the invalids, you coming?"

"Coulson told me not to until everything is worked out. But I can walk with you to their room."

Hayley showed Skye out of her office and made sure to lock the door before following Skye down the corridors to the medical suite where May and Ward were being kept. They made it to the window and the first thing Skye noticed was Ward's empty bed. The first thing Hayley noticed however was May's heart begin to flatline.

She raced into the room, finally realising Ward's bed was empty and started tending to May.

"Skye! Get in here!" She called as she started giving May chest compressions. "Look through the chart, tell me what people have given her."

"It says here that Simmons gave her something I can't pronounce about ten minutes ago."

"Show me!"

Hayley stopped compressions long enough to look at the chart.

"Damn you Simmons!" She cursed while resuming them. "Skye I need you to get me that big machine that looks like an old fashioned recorder, another couple of units of blood and ferret through the needles and find me the largest two you can."

Skye did as she was told and quickly got all of the things Hayley would need.

"What's happened?"

"What Simmons injected her with caused a chemical reaction in her body which stopped her heart."

"What the hell did Simmons inject her with?"

"A sedative she didn't need." Hayley told her, ceasing compressions and sorting out the equipment.

"Why?"

"I have my suspicions, but for now I need your help."

* * *

"You heard Coulson. We aren't allowed anywhere near him!" Simmons hissed as she and the Koenigs headed towards the medical suite.

"He murdered my brother. If Coulson thinks that I'm just going to allow him freedom over this base without finding out his motives he's wrong."

They walked quickly into the room and shut the door .

"What's going on?" May asked.

"We are taking Ward here for a little trip."

"Doctor ordered bedrest." May argued.

"How do we know she's even a doctor? I've never heard of six weeks of bedrest for giving too much blood before."

"She's a doctor. There's no way May would still be alive if she wasn't." Simmons pointed out.

"It doesn't matter who she is because I'm not going to let you take him anywhere."

"May, its fine. I'm sure it can all be smoothed over later." Ward told her while their eyes connected.

His meaning was clear.

Tell Hayley as soon as I've gone.

Simmons saw the look pass between the two agents. She couldn't believe May was defending him or that she was trying to stop them taking him.

She searched through the cupboards and found a sedative. She measured out a carefull dose and added it to May's IV to make sure they could remove Ward from the room without her hurting herself.

May's lids started to close while Simmons heard the click of restraints being placed around Ward's wrists.

"Right you,up! And any funny business and I will hurt you myself." She warned Ward as he struggled to get out of the bed. The second his feet touched the floor he found them being shackled so that he could walk, but nothing more than that.

He hauled himself off the bed and was guided down corridor after corridor until the decor changed and it became bare walls and flooring. He was led to a door and was pushed through it. Simmons didn't follow choosing instead to watch from the next room using a one way mirror.

"A lie detector test?" Ward asked, looking at the machine and recognising it as the same one he had struggled to beat in Providence.

"Correct, now go and take a seat."

Ward hobbled in his restraints towards the seat, turned and sat down. Koenig undid the restraints binding his hands and fastened them to the chair before attaching the devices to Ward.

Once they were all done Keonig sat down and began his questions.

"Full name?"

"Grant Douglas Ward."

"Living Family?"

"One brother and his kids. I can't remember how many he has."

Ward saw Koenig make a note on the machine.

"Which members of your family have recently passed away?"

"Parents and my older brother." Ward answered, as he felt his mind starting to cloud.

"Were you there when they died?"

"Yes." Ward said, the room starting to spin.

"Did you kill them?"

Ward flashed back and replayed Christian's final moments in his head.

"No." He finally answered, watching Koenig, through a haze, mark something down on the machine. He saw the door burst open and someone come flying into the room.


	34. Chapter 34

"Have you never heard of the concept of bed rest?" Hayley demanded as she started unhooking Ward from the machine.

"We had orders from Coulson and they supersede any orders from you." Keonig told her without batting an eyelid.

"BULL!" Hayley cried, propping Ward's face up with one hand and checking the focus in his eyes.

Seeing they were half open and beginning to glaze over she started to pick the locks of the handcuffs holding his hands in place.

"Don't even think about it." Koenig told her.

"Try and stop me in my duty of care and I will make you regret it. He may have done unspeakable things, but I am still bound by the Hippocratic Oath and this man needs medical attention, therefore I am, _by law_, required to give it to him." Hayley told him as she managed to free one of Ward's hands.

"I will tell Coulson about this."

"Tell him by all means, because I am planning on writing a report about how you and Simmons nearly _killed _May to get him here where you could have reversed all of his treatment so far."

"Coulson said..."

"COULSON told you to leave him alone." Hayley pointed out as she freed Ward's remaining hand.

"How do you know that?"

"I have spies everywhere, now are you going to undo his feet or are you going to make me pick them?"

* * *

"OH MY GOD WHAT HAPPENED?" Skye shrieked as Hayley helped Ward back into the room and onto his bed.

"Your overzealous colleagues that are scared he's going to kill them all in his sleep. How's she holding up?"

"I had to unkink the tubes a couple of times like you showed me, but I guess she's been ok."

"No more flatlining?" she asked as she hooked Ward up to the vital statistic monitor.

"No. Strong and steady."

"Good."

Hayley attached Ward to another unit of blood when she saw how low Ward's blood pressure had gone.

"How badly did you hurt them?" Skye asked.

"What makes you think I hurt them?"

"You're a Ward."

"Fair point, but I didn't hurt them."

"Is he going to be ok?"

"If he can go a few days without getting dragged out of bed he should be fine."

"What about his back?"

"If you go and wait for Coulson to get back I will give it another X-Ray and I'll let you know."

* * *

Simmons stood watching the now empty room. Hayley's words were circling around her head.

She reasoned Hayley must have been lying when she said that she'd nearly killed May.

"All I did was give her a sedative, and I carefully measured out the dose" she thought as she felt her body shake.

* * *

Skye sat waiting in the hangar for Coulson to return. She knew he wasn't due back for a few hours, but she knew she had to keep out of the way while Hayley treated Ward.

She sat getting more and more restless, noticing as she did that the fluttering became more and more persistent, so Skye forced herself to calm down.

* * *

"Did I really nearly kill her?" Simmons asked as she hovered around the door to the medical room.

"You did, but I got here as she flatlined." Hayley told her while she studied an X-Ray.

"How? I measured the dose out carefully!" Simmons cried.

"You might have done, but you didn't check her chart. What you gave her reacted with what I'd given her and effectively poisoned her."

Simmons snatched the chart off the end of Mays bed and studied it.

"Why?" Hayley asked her.

"We wanted to get Ward out of the room. I gave her the sedative because she was objecting and I could tell she was going to try and stop us physically. I just didn't want her to get hurt." Simmons choked.

"Hey, it's in the past and I'm filtering her blood to remove the toxins, she should be fine." Hayley told her, marking a circle on the X-Ray.

"What you looking at?" Simmons asked her.

"X-Ray. I'm trying to decide whether this fracture has got worse since the last picture." Hayley explained as she put a matching X Ray up next to it and marking the same point.

"What of?"

"Spinal fracture. It's not severe, but I do want to monitor it. Tell me what you see?"

Hayley moved out of the way to allow Simmons access to the light box. She studied it and identified the fracture on the first film. She looked on the second one and saw that it had got slightly worse.

"How far apart were these films taken?"

"24 hours."

"What would cause a fracture to worsen like that over a 24 hour period?"

"Being forced to walk to an interrogation room when ordered to stay in bed."

"That would do, wait, what? These are Ward's films?"

"Yep. He got thrown against a wall when the bomb went off then picked May up and carried her back to us on the jet where he saved her life further by donating blood."

"One right doesn't undo a lifetime of wrongs."

"No, but it's a good place to start."

* * *

"Skye! What's with the welcoming committee?" Coulson asked as the cargo ramp

"There was a problem in medical." Skye told him, not meeting his eyes.

"With?"

"May, I better let Hayley explain it to you."

Coulson raced to medical with Skye following behind him struggling to keep up.

He burst through the door and immediately saw May was unconscious and attached to a multitude of machines.

"What happened?"

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? DO YOU REALISE YOU NEARLY KILLED MAY WITH YOUR BLIND HATRED FOR THE MAN WHO BROKE HIS BACK SAVING HER LIFE? Coulson shouted at Simmons.

"I'm sorry Coulson."

"Sorry? I specifically told you to stay away from Medical. Hayley is a more than competent doctor and your actions nearly cost May her life and you're sorry?"

"I'll admit, I shouldn't have given May that sedative, that's on me. I shouldn't have allowed Ward to be moved that way either. If I'd have know he'd broken his back I wouldn't have partaken in the whole interrogation thing."

"I told you to stay away. _Why_ did you disobey my direct order?"

"He was here in the building. He's not in a cell he's not even in handcuffs. We just wanted answers to questions no one seemed to want to ask."

"Have you ever thought that I had the answers to the questions you have?"

"And you just believe him?"

"My information has not come from Ward; it has come from other sources. Now leave, think over your actions and send Sam in."

"Yes Sir."

Simmons left the room and Sam Keonig came in and sat down in front of Coulson's desk.

"Speak." Coulson demanded.

"He murdered my brother!"

"So that gives you the right to disobey me?"

"But he was alone in a room with May."

"And _he_ was following orders to stay put. I told _you_ not to go in there."

"Whatever information you have to make you believe you that he's on our side it's inaccurate. I have the results of his interrogation before we were cut off. He's hiding something about his family and he clearly lied about killing his parents."

"Did you even think that your suspicious result were due to him passing out from the injuries he sustained while saving May's life? He not only lost a lot of blood but broke his back when that bomb went off trying to get to her to push her out of the way?"

"He told you that?" Keonig asked him sceptically.

"No, Fitz did."

"Why was he even there?"

"That is between him and me. All you need to know is he's off limits."

* * *

"Why do I have another headache?" Ward asked coming to.

"What do you remember?"

"Simmons, Keonig, Flashbacks, I may have passed out, but I don't remember getting back into this bed."

"You did pass out and somewhere along the way your back was made worse, so the bed rest is a lot more strict. Any more jaunts down the corridor and I will chain you to the bed and, even though I rather wouldn't, I will snake a tube up your mojo." Hayley warned him.

Ward looked at May and noticed all the machines.

"What happened?"

"Small unforeseen complication. Don't worry about it."

There was a knock on the glass.

"He awake yet?" Coulson asked.

"I'm awake. What do you need?"

"Hayley, give us a minute."

Hayley gave Coulson a panic button and told him to press it if anything happened and he needed her before she left the room.

"So Keonig told me you lied on your interrogation."

"Which part? I don't remember a whole hell of a lot of it."

"He told me you lied about your family."

"I didn't kill them."

"I know that, but he was confused and suspected that you were lying about the living members of your family. Tell me why."

Ward took a deep breath and looked Coulson in the eye.

"My sister. She was supposed to have died when she was ten, but I got her out of the living hell that was my family and sent her to live with some people I knew. The one thing Chris did to protect her was to misidentify the body they found, but it was enough for her to live a better life. There are only..." Ward counted off his fingers "_five_ people who know this. My younger brother is not one of them."

"The doctor?" Coulson said, realisation suddenly dawning on him.

"What about her?"

"She came highly recommended and her DNA and fingerprints came back far too fast. May knew she's your sister."

"Yes. I suspect May didn't run her DNA. How do you explain to the tech's that it's the DNA of a dead girl?"

"So why does she have to stay here? Skye isn't due for months and, not that im complaining as she saved May's life, but why?"

"Hydra probably went after her after I put a throwing star in Whitehall's wrist; unfortunately he is one of the five. Hydra forged all her documents and have been watching her since, threatening to hurt her if I didn't comply. It's really a long and boring story, but you get the jist."

"That explains why May went to and get her."


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: Running-Wild 22 I hope this stops that hanging feeling!**

**I have published the trip Ward took as a one shot simply titled 'Ward's Journey', so if you were one of the curious ones feel free to check it out. If you don't care what he got up to then there's no pressure.**

**This is a continuation of the previous chapter so Skye is still 15 weeks.**

* * *

"Doctor, with me please." Coulson demanded as Hayley chatted with Skye in the kitchen.

Hayley looked at Skye and followed Coulson down the corridor. He led her down corridor after corridor until the walls turned from glass to concrete and the floor changed from tiles to concrete also.

"Where are we going?" Hayley asked, even though she already knew.

"We are going to have a little chat. Just you and me."

Hayley looked slightly alarmed, but followed Coulson anyway.

He arrived at a door, opened it and ushered Hayley inside before following her and closing the door.

"Please take a seat." He asked, indicating the chair behind her.

Hayley recognised the chair as the one she had freed Ward from.

"You aren't going to handcuff me to it are you?"

"Only if you don't cooperate. I simply want to ask you a few questions away from prying ears."

"But you also want to see if I'm lying to you."

"I suspect that you may be far too competent a liar for me to detect without the machines." Coulson told her placing all of the pads and sensors onto Hayley's body.

"And why would that be?" Hayley asked as Coulson trained the camera onto her eyes.

"Because I suspect, wait, oh you're good, turning the tables on me like that. Right now shall we begin?"

"Sure."

"Name?"

"Hayley Elizabeth Stewart."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Has this always been your name?"

"Judging by your question I'm going to assume you already know the answer."

"Are you Heather Marie Ward who died at the age of ten?"

"Clearly not as I am still alive."

Hayley's answers were starting to infuriate Coulson. He knew she was yanking his chain and he started to see the family resemblance.

"Are you Heather Marie Ward?"

"Yes."

"The younger sister of Christian, Grant and Thomas Ward?"

"Really? You have to ask that?"

"There are many families with that surname."

"Yes. I am the younger sister of those idiots."

"Which one is your favourite?"

"Grant."

Her answer shocked Coulson.

"Why?"

"He protected me when no one else cared enough to. Tried to keep me safe from people who wanted to hurt me."

"What about Christian?"

"Christian was an ass who forced Grant into doing spiteful and hurtful things to Thomas until Grant grew a few inches and started learning to fight back."

"So you think Grant's opinion of Christian is justified?"

"Absolutely, if I knew what that was. But if it's the same as it was when we were kids then yeah. Chris was a bully."

"Would it surprise you to know it was Christian who misidentified the body as you?"

The look on Hayley's face was enough to tell Coulson that she didn't know.

"Why are you here?"

"In this chair or in the building?"

"Building."

"I was asked to help Skye through her pregnancy."

"You have an ER to run and yet you haven't left the building in weeks."

"I encountered a problem and May decided it was probably safer for me to stay here."

"What sort of problem?"

"Maniacs trying to kill me."

"Hydra?"

"Probably. Didn't hang around long enough to ask!"

"What are your views on Hydra?"

"I owe them my life."

"OK, so you're in this building and you're pro Hydra?"

"I never said I was pro Hydra, I said they saved my life. But I don't agree with their politics at all and they may have saved me, but they have also threatened to kill me more than once."

"So you aren't affiliated?"

"No!"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"And risk you locking me in a cell for the rest of my life because I come from a family that should star in a Grimm fairytale? Are you mad?"

"I'm not mad, well, maybe a little. Ok yes I am mad that no one saw fit to tell me we have two Wards in the building."

"If you are mad, why aren't you shouting?"

"I'm not mad enough to shout."

"If it makes you feel any better I haven't been a Ward for eighteen years." Hayley told him with a smile.

* * *

Skye was walking down one of the corridors in the Playground. There was no one about and it was starting to scare her. It was dark and she was armed. She could hear voices ahead of her but the corridor didn't seem to want to end and let her get to the voice she quickly realised as Ward's.

"I DON'T KNOW!" he shouted.

"Tell me. Or I will shoot you."

"I don't know anything." Ward repeated.

_BANG_

The gunshot was accompanied by Ward's scream of pain as the bullet pierced his leg.

Skye quickened her pace towards the voices.

Eventually she got to the end of a corridor where she came to a door. Placing her hand on the doorknob she prepared herself for what she would find.

_BANG_

Skye opened the door. Ward was on the ground bleeding, having clearly been tortured for information. Skye raised her gun and aimed it at his captor. She recoiled in horror as the man's face was blank and featureless, like a blur.

She fired her gun at him, but all that came out was water.

Throwing her gun to the side Skye approached him and launched a punch at his faceless head, but what she hit felt like mush.

The faceless man threw her to one side where she slid down the wall.

"Skye." Ward groaned from the centre of the room.

The faceless man walked across the room and picked up Skye's gun. He aimed it at Ward and fired, the echo of the shot bouncing around the room.

Skye screamed as she watched Ward's life drain from his eyes.

That's when she sat bolt upright with a start. She could feel her heart pounding as if it were trying to escape her chest, she could feel every bead of cold sweat covering her body. She was shaking and couldn't stop the tears pouring down her face.

It took a moment for her to calm down and realise she was in bed and had just woken from a nightmare.

Wiping her face with her eyes, Skye pulled the covers off her and got out of the bed, feet hitting the cold wood floor. She pulled her robe towards her and set off walking down the corridor trying to banish the images of her nightmare from her mind.

She walked without thinking for what felt like hours before arriving at the medical suite. Quietly, so she wouldn't wake May or Ward she crept into the room and took the seat next to Ward's bed. Before she knew it she was asleep in the chair.

* * *

Skye woke to her shoulder being gently shaken.

"Skye, sweetie, you shouldn't sleep in a chair. It's not good for you, especially now." Hayley told her softly.

"I know, it's just."

"Why don't you take the bed next to him, I'll wake you before anyone else gets up."

Skye looked at the bed through her still bleary eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"I had a nightmare, no, it was more of a terror."

"What happened?"

"He got shot and died right in front of me?" Skye told her, tears starting to pour down her face again.

"It was just a dream Skye."

"I know, it just felt so real."

"They always do. Come on, get into the bed. You might sleep better."

Skye allowed Hayley to gently coerce her into the bed next to Ward's.

"I wish I could give you something to help you sleep, but I can't because of the baby." Hayley told her pulling the blankets up and helping her settle in.

Skye was asleep before Hayley left the room.


	36. Chapter 36

_20 weeks._

"That looks cold." Ward said as Hayley squirted gel onto Skye's rapidly expanding stomach

Skye shot him a look that he read as 'you don't say!'

"Ok, so everything appears alright. Seems to be a good length and weight and we are right on track for 20 weeks."

Ward watched the monitors transfixed.

"That's our child." He said breathlessley, squeezing Skye's hand.

"It is, now positioning is perfect if you want to know the gender." Hayley told them.

"Yes." Ward said at the same time Skye said "No."

"You do?" She asked him.

"You don't?"

"No! I want it to be a surprise."

"I don't like surprises."

"Oh yes. I forgot, you're a robot and you have to have everything just so."

"I want to know whether my life is going to be spinning out of control in frilly pink or differing shades of Khaki."

"Well I guess it would be nice to know if I get to buy lots and lots of cute little dresses beforehand."

"It would also be nice to know especially seen as though Auntie does." Ward pointed out.

They both looked at Hayley.

"Why don't you guess? I mean its 50/50 isn't it?"

"Girl." Skye said immediately.

Ward stepped back and looked at Skye.

"Old wives' tale, I'm going to go boy."

"Why?" Skye moaned.

"He means there is an old wives' tale that if the bump is all up front it's a boy, if the bump is spread around then it will be a girl."

""Is it accurate?"

"There's no scientific proof to back it up, that's why it's a wives' tale."

"I didn't have you pegged as the knowing about wives' tales kind." Skye told Ward playfully

"I did a lot of research after you told me."

"And after you were done with the screaming part." Hayley interjected, only to have Skye's pillow launched at her head.

"There was no screaming, but after I got my head around it I hit the books, net, anything I could find really. Skye? Are you ok?"

Tears started falling down Skye's face.

"Poor child hasn't even been born yet and I already feel like a failure."

"The pictures and gender if you want it are in this folder. Look if you want. I will be in my room if you need me." Hayley said, putting a folder on her desk and leaving the room.

Ward turned back to Skye and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You aren't a failure Skye. You are anything but. Our child is healthy and right on target and that's all because of you."

"Then why didn't I think to read up on everything?"

"Because you have been busy saving the world and I have had nothing but time. Because you go with the flow and are far more laid back then my rigid robot needs to plan all contingencies and control the variables manner."

His reference to being a robot made Skye laugh and wipe away her tears.

"Let's do it. Let's find out. At least that way we don't have to worry about stocking up on clothes or painting a nursery."

"Nursery?"

"I need to tell everyone else and then Coulson will give us a room to decorate and use."

"You see, I hadn't thought about that." Ward admitted, which made Skye smile even more.

He picked up the folder and flicked through to the page when Hayley had made a note of the baby's gender.

"Maybe next time." He said, kissing her temple, and passing her the folder.

* * *

Simmons watched through the glass in the lab as Ward and Fitz chatted and laughed with each other. She saw Ward inspect the thing she had seen Fitz working on for the last twenty weeks. She still didn't like the fact Ward was in the building, but as she knew he had saved Fitz and May multiple times over the previous weeks she was learning to get used to walking into a room and him being there.

She watched as Fitz took the item off Ward and handed him something else, which Ward put on the table, and the two men start working together. She couldn't see what they were doing, but she could see Fitz ordering Ward around and checking his work.

She saw Fitz ask Ward something before walking over to a giant gelatinous block that was taller than Fitz. She watched as he reached the block and turn to face Ward.

She saw Ward pick up something else off the table and perform a move that she had seen many times before. It didn't register what the move was until the ear deafening bang filled the lab.

Simmons didn't wait to find out what happened, she raced to locate Coulson and May.

* * *

"So Hayley discharged you from the hospital?" Coulson asked May as she sat in his office.

"Yeah. I still have to take things slow and allow my body get used to being thrown around again, but I'm alive and I'm up and walking."

"Now that you're fit there are a couple of things I would like to discuss with you."

"Shoot."

"Where is Ward going to sleep? Do we allow him to share with Skye, or do we send him to his own room?"

"His own room would be more appropriate as there are still people who don't know about him and Skye and won't appreciate it, but I think Skye needs him. I woke up so many times in the night to find her asleep at his bedside and not in the most comfortable positions, especially in her condition. What else is there?"

"Why did you lie to me about the doctor?"

"I didn't lie to you about the doctor." May said, before continuing when Coulson raised his eyebrows at her. "I might have left out a thing or two."

"Like how she's really Ward's dead sister?"

"He told you?"

"I didn't give him much of a choice."

Simmons burst into Coulson's office.

"Sorry, but this is important. Ward's shooting at Fitz." She panted

* * *

"So you're telling me that you took that EMP device I gave you and you shrunk it to the size of a bracelet?" Ward asked Fitz in the lab.

"Yeah. It took a lot of work, but I've finally created a prototype." Fitz replied.

"Does it work? That's the big question." Ward asked, thumbing the bracelet.

"No idea, want to find out?" Fitz asked with a grin.

"Sure, just don't shoot me." Ward said, attempting to put the bracelet on.

"I trust your aim better" Fitz told him taking the bracelet and placing it on his own wrist and handing Ward a gun.

"You're trusting me with a loaded weapon?" Ward asked him.

"I'm trusting that I got the calculations right more."

"How close do you want me?"

"Erm, I haven't really thought about that. We could mark out metre markers and see how close you need to get for it not to work?"

"So if I aim for the top of your ear?"

"As long as it doesn't make me bleed you can aim anywhere you like."

Fitz and Ward used tape to make markings on the floor, precisely measuring the distance between the points and making notes on a piece of paper of each mark.

"Ready?" Fitz asked walking over to the bullet catching gel, turning to face him.

"Am I ready? You're the one who's going to get shot at and if I survive this it will be a miracle."

Ward lined up the sight of the gun to aim at just above Fitz's right ear, while making sure his feet were correctly placed on the marking.

He pulled the trigger.

Then he ducked as the bullet flew along it's trajectory before deviating, hitting a metal light fitting and bouncing around the room back towards Ward.

"I guess it works!" Ward called from the floor.

"Me too, now we just need to figure out to what distance!"

"Is there a bigger room?" Ward asked getting to his feet.

"We could go to the hangar?"

Ward put the gun in his waistband and picked up the tape measure and electrical tape they had used to mark the measurements while Fitz made a note on his clipboard, put it on the top of the gel block and attempted to move it.

Ward, seeing what Fitz was trying to do, copied his movements and between them they managed to move the big block of wobbly jelly onto a set of wheels.

* * *

"I thought you said they were in here and that Ward was shooting at Fitz?" Coulson asked as he, Simmons and May raced back to the Lab.

"I swear, they were right here." Simmons told him.

"Well they're not here now." Coulson pointed out.

"It's not the first time he's tried to kill Fitz, oh my God! He's probably gone to hide the body." Simmons shouted, over reacting.

"He's not hiding any bodies." Coulson tried to reassure her.

"Then what's he doing? Stringing him from the rafters?" Simmons asked.

"She's right about one thing. A shot was fired in this room recently." May added.

There was a dull bang and the three of them raced towards the sound. There were more gunshots as they got closer and the noises got louder. Coulson, realising there was a pattern to the shots slowed his pace.

* * *

Ward and Fitz wheeled the jelly to the wall that ran along one side of the hangar.

"Do we take it off the wheels or put the brakes on?" Ward asked.

"We should take it off."

"But then we have to put it back on to move it back to the lab, and if Skye catches me my goose is more than cooked." Ward told him.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about your back. Better leave it on or she'll be after me too with her crazy pregnancy horemones."

"So from the block?" Ward asked.

"From the block." Fitz confirmed.

They accurately remarked all of their measurements and Ward walked to the furthest mark. He checked Fitz was standing still and lined up the gun again.

The bullet hit the ceiling where it got lodged in a panel.

Fitz marked the result on the clipboard.

"Ok, next mark." He called.

Ward lined the gun up again, waited for Fitz to freeze and fired. Yet again the bullet missed by a mile. Fitz recorded the result on the clipboard and beckoned Ward forward again.

"Do you two know what you're having yet?"

"Yeah, we found out this morning."

"You happy about it?"

"Skye's going to need to come round, the result wasn't quite what she expected."

"I found something I want to get you guys, but I want your opinion on it."

Ward pulled the trigger again and, yet again, the bullet was diverted off its course.

"Well you and me will have to go shopping. I wanted to talk to you about helping out with the nursery. I don't want Skye to have to help and it might help retrain your hand." Ward said to him, moving to the next line.

* * *

Coulson, Simmons and May entered the hangar just as Ward lined the gun up and fired it at Fitz.

"FITZ!" Simmons shouted throwing caution to the wind and racing forwards.

Coulson took hold of her arms and pulled her back. There was something very strange happening and he wanted to watch to see what it was.

They watched as Ward stepped closer to Fitz, realigned his shot and pulled the trigger. They then watched as Fitz made a note of the result, and Ward step forward before repeating the process.

Coulson noticed that the closer Ward got to Fitz the more the timid agent flinched at the gunshot.

The pattern continued until the bullet pierced the gel above Fitz's ear.

They continued to view this strange behaviour as Fitz made another note on the clipboard.

* * *

"That one hit." Ward told Fitz.

"I know. I felt the cold air as it whooshed past my ear. What distance we got?"

"Two metres."

"So we need to find the exact distance between two and three that bullets change back to being deadly."

Ward put the gun down and picked up the tape.

"So where am I getting sticky?" he asked with a grin.

Fitz instructed Ward on where to stick the new markers and they began to figure out the exact distance that the bracelet was effective to.

"Which one of you braniacs is responsible for Ward being armed in the building?" Coulson asked coming over to them as they removed the tape markings off the floor.

Ward looked at Fitz.

"I was. He's a better shot than me. I would have probably hit him without meaning to. At least having Ward shoot he missed me."

"I'm not following?" May said.

"We were testing my new invention that was based on the device Ward planted on the 'bus. The first shot tested whether or not it worked."

"Clearly it didn't, Ward's been bleeding."

"It's a flesh wound from ricochet."

"Ricochet?"

"The bullet pinged around the lab. I didn't know it had caught Ward, but we decided we better move the experiment somewhere bigger before one of us did get hurt, hence the hangar. As it turns out we found out the experiment to be a success and there is a personal protection perimeter of 2.75 metres."

"Personal protection perimeter? What exactly does your new invention do?" Simmons asked, her scientific curiosity outweighing her displeasure of Ward being given a weapon and pointing it at Fitz.

"It's an electromagnetic pulse bracelet that diverts the path of bullets that are fired from a distance greater than 2.75 metres." Fitz explained.

"Which is why Ward was stepping closer to you each time he fired?" Coulson said.

"Exactly."

"I want the gun." Coulson demanded, holding his hand out.

"I put it down over there." Ward said pointing towards the weapon. May picked it up and gave it to Coulson.

"I want to see you in my office."

Skye walked into the hangar at that point and saw everyone stood around looking at Fitz and Ward.

"What did I miss?" she asked, eyeing up the gun in Coulson's hand.

* * *

**A/N: I wrote this chapter while wearing moisturising gloves on my hands – they are horrible to type in, but I have to wear them to help with the peeling :D**

**I hope you enjoyed this little bit of Bromance ;)**


	37. Chapter 37

_21 weeks_

"Hey! Come with me, there's something I want to show you." Skye whispered into Ward's ear.

She took his hand and guided him down the corridors, looking to see if anyone would see them.

"Skye, where are we going?"

"Somewhere a little more private."

She guided him down some familiar looking corridors.

"You better not be leading back to interrogation!"

"I am. I figured it would be the last place anyone would look for us. Don't worry, you're safe."

"Safe varies by the context."

"We'll be alone. You aren't scared of little old me are you?" She asked him with a gleam in her eye.

"Always!" he laughed back.

Skye led him down the corridor that led to the room. They reached the door and she looked both ways before opening it and walking in. She held the door until Ward had entered and closed it behind him.

She turned back to face him, walked up to him and pulled him into a deep and passionate kiss, walking them both backwards to the wall in the process.

"This is not what you want to show me is it?" Ward asked pulling away from her lips slightly.

"No."

Skye leaned back against the wall, lifted the hem of her top and guided Ward's hand from her cheek to her stomach where she moved it around a little.

"Skye?" Ward asked curiously.

Then he felt it.

A tiny beat against his hand.

"Was that?" he asked, eyes wide and using his free arm to prop himself up against the wall and Skye.

"Yeah. Started this morning. Thought you might want a feel."

"That is incredible!"

Ward moved his hand over her bump trying to feel the kick again.

"Must have got comfy." She told him.

Ward moved his hand back to Skye's face and kissed her again.

"I have something I need to show you too." He said, taking her hand and leading her from the room.

* * *

Simmons was stood in the viewing room looking out over the lie detector test.

"How strange that it could change my entire outlook!" she thought as she stared at it.

She had been feeling guilty over May and had found herself frequently visiting here. She reasoned it was part penance for what she did and part reminder that not everything is as it seems.

Just as she was about to leave she saw the door open and Skye sidle through it before pulling Ward in with her.

She watched as Skye pulled him into a kiss and backed against the wall.

White hot anger burned through her that Skye could forgive him enough to kiss him.

She watched further as Skye lifted her top and move Ward's hand.

That's when she saw Skye had put on weight.

A lot of weight.

So much that she was wearing elasticated pants.

It wasn't until she saw Ward's reaction and heard him ask "Was that?" that she realised Skye's weight gain might be a pregnancy bump.

That's when she also realised Skye had been practically glowing for the past few weeks as well as being happy and cheerful since Ward arrived in the building.

The anger burned through her again and she stormed from the room.

"How could she? How I could I have not seen it?" Simmons thought as she entered the lab.

* * *

"Don't peek!" Ward told Skye as he covered her eyes.

"I'm not peeking, but will you hurry up! I need to pee!"

Ward guided her forwards and opened the door. He moved her inside and flicked on the light.

"You can open them now."

Skye opened her eyes to find a beautifully decorated bedroom, fully furnished with everything they would need, including a double bed and a dresser each.

"Coulson thought it might be easier for us to share." Ward explained as Skye walked around the room touching the furniture.

"This is _our_ room?"

"Someone told him you'd spent most nights in medical slept in awkward positions, so he gave us this room."

"We have a double bed."

"Yeah, saves one of us falling out of it. Do you like it?"

"I love it!" Skye cried, tears streaming down her face and running to him, pulling him into a hug.

"You haven't even seen the best bit yet." He told her, pulling her to a door on the other side of the room.

Opening it he revealed a small, yet fully functioning bathroom.

"I am going to christen that right now!" she said, pushing past him and closing the door in his face.

* * *

"Earth to Simmons, Earth to Simmons, do you read me Simmons?" Hunter asked waving his hand in front of her face bringing her out of her own world.

"What's up?"

"Never mind me, what's up with you?"

"Is Skye pregnant?"

"Not that I know, and even if she was, who the hell would the father be?"

"Ward."

"She wouldn't. Would she? What makes you ask anyway?"

"I saw her and Ward together earlier and she looks like she's put on weight."

"How did you go from that to her being pregnant?"

"They were alone in a room; they didn't know I was there. She kissed him, then put his hands on her stomach, then there was weirdness."

"Like what?"

"She was wearing elasticated pants. He said 'was that' and Skye said it started this morning."

"Nooo. Was probably just gas. Skye is sensible enough not to. I think you're imagining things."

"Maybe. Let's go ask her."

* * *

"Thankyou! Thankyou! Thankyou! Thankyou! Thankyou!" Skye repeated as she hugged Coulson.

"I take it she likes the room?" Coulson asked Ward as Skye buried her head in his shoulder.

"Loved it."

"Good. It wasn't an easy decision to make, after all, everyone is still not convinced that Ward isn't going to kill everyone in their sleep. The only reason I'm allowing it is that it's a little too late to ban you from being together really, isn't it?"

"May I take a jet to the safe house to pick up some clothes and things?" Ward asked Coulson.

"Take May with you. She's been itching to get out of here."

* * *

Simmons ran up to Bobbi in the gym.

"Woah! What's with the whirlwind?" She asked, putting her batons down.

"I was looking for Skye. Have you seen her?"

"I saw her getting onto a jet with May and Ward."

"Coulson trusts him on a mission?" Simmons asked in disbelief.

"It didn't seem like a mission. It seemed personal."

* * *

"I better clean the fridge out while I'm here." Ward said as they walked the halls of Paradise.

"Why?"

"I haven't been here in six weeks; everything will have gone bad by now."

They all went into the kitchen where Ward opened the fridge and a foul smell spread around the room like a poisonous mist, making Skye gag and run from the room.

Ward stomached the smell and removed everything into a bin bag.

"I better go dump this in the trash. I'll be about an hour. Help yourself to books that you want to take to read."

"Why so long?"

"Have to dump it in town. It's a half hour walk either way." Ward explained.

"I'll come too."

"Skye'll have to come."

"That's no problem, she needs to exercise."

"The smell might be a problem seen as thought it's already sent her running."

"Fair point, I'll raid your library."

* * *

"Find Skye yet?" Hunter asked Simmons.

"She's out with Ward and May."

"Really? Coulson let him out?"

"Yeah. I'm worried he's gonna hurt her, or May."

"I'm sure May will kick his ass if he steps out of place."

"Will she have the strength? She only got out of the hospital last week."

"You thought he was going to shoot Fitz remember."

"He _was!_"

"Yeah, but in the name of science."

* * *

"So do you know what you're having yet?" May asked as the flew back to the Playground.

"Yeah. We're having a boy." Ward told her while watching Skye out of the corner of his eye.

"A boy! Thought of any names yet?"

"I want to give him Ward's first name as a middle one." Skye announced.

Ward stared at her.

"You have got to be kidding me?"

"Why not?"

"Erm... everyone hates me." Ward told her.

"It would also confirm Ward's the father." May pointed out.

"I don't care." Skye said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"How about we talk about it later?" Ward suggested.

Skye nodded as tears fell silently from her eyes. Ward pulled her into him.

Before long they landed back in the hangar to find Simmons waiting for them.

"Simmons, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Ward asked as they walked down the cargo ramp.

"I want information." She said, looking at Skye and the red rims of her eyes.

"What sort on information."

"Not from you, from Skye."

Ward looked at Skye, then May before looking back at Simmons.

"What's up, Buttercup?" Skye asked before laughing hysterically at the rhyme and bursting into tears again. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me!"

"It must be all of those pregnancy hormones running through your body." Simmons said in a cool emotionless voice.

Ward's eyes went wide, May excused herself and ran from the room and Skye finally managed to stop crying.

"You, you know?" Skye asked her, the blood draining from her face.

"I saw the two of you this morning in the lie detector room." Simmons admitted.

Skye shot a look towards Ward.

"I take it _he's _the father?" Simmons asked, nodding towards Ward.

All Skye could do was nod.

"How could you? We're supposed to be friends and you go and _sleep_ with him! I'm assuming this is why he's been given the roam of the building."

"I didn't know how to tell you." Skye said in a small voice.

"You could have just come out with it and told me!" Simmons shrieked before calming down long enough to add "I can't even look at you right now!" and leaving.

Skye burst into tears once more and sunk to the floor. Ward watched Simmons disappear from view before sitting next to Skye and pulling her into his lap.

"I take it the conversation didn't go too well?" May asked as she re-entered the room.

* * *

**A/N: All better now - but I still have catching up to do so updates may not be daily!**


	38. Chapter 38

_25 weeks_

Simmons looked up from the lab table she was working at. It was far too quiet.

Coulson, May, Bobbi, Hunter and Mack had all gone out on a mission, leaving Ward, Skye, Fitz, Hayley and herself at the Playground. She had expected Fitz to join her in the lab, but he was nowhere to be seen so she went to look for him.

She couldn't find him anywhere and her mind was starting to race but then she caught the sound of laughter coming from a room. Curious, as the room wasn't meant to be in use she went to investigate. She put her ear up to the door and heard a low hum followed by another low hum and something that was slightly higher. She could hear one of the low hums chuckle. Her curiosity got the better of her and she pushed the door open. She was stunned to find herself in a beautifully decorated bedroom. She was even more shocked to see Skye making herself comfy on the double bed, Fitz wriggling himself into a comfy looking chair and Ward pressing buttons on what looked like a cupboard door. Hayley was sat at the end of the bed using it as a backrest, a blanket covering the legs that were stretched out before her.

"Simmons! We're having a movie night. Why don't you join us?" Fitz called from his chair.

Simmons was hesitant. She had barely looked at Ward or even Skye since she found out about the baby, so she wasn't sure if she would be welcome to join them.

"We don't bite." Ward promised, nodding at her to enter the room and make herself comfy while exposing the impressive TV the cupboard concealed.

Simmons chose to sit by Hayley on the floor and was offered some of the blanket that she was using. Simmons gratefully took it.

"Know what we're missing?" Skye asked.

"No. What?" Ward asked, putting the movie disk into the player.

"Popcorn. Lathered in hot, melted butter."

"Popcorn yes, butter no." Hayley said from the floor.

"Popcorn Nazi!" Skye said, throwing a pillow at her, which she caught and put behind her back.

"What about sweet popcorn with chocolate chips?" Fitz asked.

"That's fine." Hayley told him.

"Wait! I'm allowed chocolate but not butter?"

"Butter is on that list I gave you."

"I'll go make some popcorn." Fitz said, trying to get out of the chair and failing. Ward pushed the disk tray closed and went to help Fitz up, before climbing onto the bed.

"What are we watching anyway?" Simmons asked.

"22 Jump Street." Skye said excitedly.

"Why?"

"Because Skye's using the hormonal excuse to guilt trip us all into it." Ward said, winking at Skye and getting attacked by her remaining pillow in return.

"AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!" Ward cried while pretending to bat Skye off him. Simmons turned to watch Skye beat Ward up with a pillow and laughed a little as she got him square in the nose.

"I. Did. Not. Guilt. Trip. You. Into. Watching. This!" she told him as she continued her assault.

"I take it back, I take it back!" Ward conceded, holding his hands up in front of him.

"Good." She told him, putting the pillow back behind her and snuggling into his side again.

A few minutes later Fitz returned with three bowls of popcorn. One for Ward and Skye, one for Simmons and Hayley and a smaller one for himself.

"You mean you didn't start it to get past the commercials?" Fitz asked, settling back into the chair.

"I was about to but I got attacked!" Ward told him defensively.

Fitz gave Simmons a very pointed look.

"It wasn't me." She told him.

"Just play the movie already!" Hayley said.

Ward pressed play and the screen shifted and changed as the movie played.

Ward was impressed at the sound quality. Fitz had really done a good job with the speakers.

They laughed their way through the movie until Schmitt tried to climb onto the roof after Jenko.

"Oh my God!" Skye exclaimed.

"What?" Fitz asked.

"It's Ward and Fitz!" Skye giggled.

"It's nothing like me and Fitz." Ward told her.

"It so is. You, the athletic one who can do what he did, then Fitz, the brainy one who tries to do the physical stuff and fails in a really funny way but manages to succeed in the end!" she said, pointing to each of the characters.

"Skye has a point." Simmons unexpectedly said from the floor.

"Thankyou!"

They made it to the end of the movie and were all still chattering so Fitz suggested putting another one on.

"Before we do I want some more popcorn!" Skye announced.

"So go make some!" Ward told her.

"But the way Fitz made it was so nice!" Skye complained.

"Come on, I'll show you how to make it." Fitz told her, hauling her off the bed.

"I'm going to use the bathroom." Hayley said, scrambling to her feet and heading to the rooms ensuite.

"I'm sorry." Simmons said, so low Ward nearly missed it.

"For what?" he asked her.

"I've behaved like an idiot. I can see you are devoted to Skye and the baby, and Fitz told me you saved my life in Hawaii. I guess I may have over reacted a little to you being here and the whole baby thing. It was a bit of a shock. I have been a horrible friend, especially when this should be the happiest time of Skye's life."

"You have every right to be mad at me Simmons, especially after what I did to you, so maybe I'm not the one you have to say sorry to."

Ward got off the bed and moved over to the TV to change the disk.

"What do you fancy?" he asked Simmons. She got over the floor and joined him at the TV before flicking through all of the movies that were there.

"I wanted to watch this one when it came out but I never got the chance." She said, pulling one out of the pile and passing it to him.

"I never meant to hurt you or Fitz. I did care about you, still do, and if I hadn't have done what I did we would have all been killed. Garrett expected me to put a bullet in your skull, but I couldn't. And if I didn't, it would have been seen as disobeying orders, meaning I would have been killed too. Sending you out in that box at least gave you both a chance of survival. I had no idea it would sink."

"I don't trust you and if you hurt her, I will kill you."

"Fair enough, but I'm not going to hurt her. Besides, well, you know, the whole childbirth thing." Ward jested, making Simmons chuckle.

Ward put the new disk in the player and headed back to the bed. Simmons sat back on the floor. Ward forwarded through the credits.

Hayley came back into the room and joined Simmons. Skye and Fitz returned with the new batch of popcorn and settled into their respective places.

"What are we watching this time?" Fitz asked.

"The Perfect Storm." Ward told him.

"I wanted to see this!" Hayley voiced.

"Me too." Skye admitted.

They sat in silence eating popcorn while they watched the movie while a raging storm picked up around the building, wind rattling all of the windows.

"So who's bright idea was it to watch a movie about a raging storm while there's a gale blowing driving rain into the widows outside?" Fitz asked as one gust of wind rattled the window so loud that it made him jump.

"Simmons."

"Hey! I didn't know we were expecting a storm!" she protested shrinking into the end of the bed.

They continued to watch the movie, trying to ignore the weather outside.

"I vote we watch a comedy after this to calm our nerves." Fitz said as he jumped when a tanker smashed into a storm drain on the TV at the same time a growl of thunder echoed around the room.

"I concur." Skye told him, white as a sheet, but enthralled in the movie all the same.

"Me too!"

"That's four of us then."

When the movie finished ten minutes later Fitz jumped out of the chair and raced to the TV to flick through the movies to change the disk as quickly as possible. He found one and put it on.

"What is it?" Skye asked him.

"Wait and see!" Fitz teased.

Ward started the movie and they quickly realised Fitz had chosen another police movie.

"Let's be cops?" he asked skeptically.

"It was the one I thought would be the most light hearted after the last one."

As the movie wore on Ward noticed the noise level in the room had dropped. One quick glance around the room told him why.

* * *

Coulson and the rest of the team arrived back to the Playground. He was concerned. All of the rooms seemed dark and there was a silence that was made worse by the storm still raging around outside. Wondering where they all were and concerned that they may have killed each other he went to investigate.

He checked all of the places he knew Fitz, Simmons, Skye and Ward enjoyed spending their time, but it was all empty. Realising it was getting kid of late he thought they could all be in their rooms, so he went to check.

He tapped softly on the door to the room Fitz had claimed. Getting no reply Coulson opened it, saw an empty bed and closed it again. He tried Simmons next and got the same result. He was starting to get worried.

Finally he reached the Ward and Skye's room. He could hear slight movements on the other side of the door and opened it.

The room was dark, lit only by a bright blue light from the TV. He could see Ward placing a blanket over Fitz who was fast asleep in the chair before moving to the end of the bed and looking down. He saw Ward slowly and carefully lift someone up off the floor and carry them to the bed. Realising Ward's intention Coulson stepped forward and pulled the covers back. That's when he saw Simmons.

Ward placed her in the centre of the bed and moved back to the foot of it, picked Hayley off the floor and placed her in the empty space he had left. He pulled the covers over them and tucked a blanket around Skye to keep her warm.

"What were you guys doing?" Coulson whispered to him.

"Movie marathon." Ward explained.

"Where are you planning on sleeping?"

Ward nodded to a space on the floor in front of the TV.

"There are beds available you know."

"I know, but I'm happy on the floor."


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: Sorry this has taken so long... life kind of got hectic a little and it's taken me away from my writing - I also had a flow of ideas for my Agent In Training story!**

* * *

_29 weeks_

"I am telling you – a high tech spaceship is the way to go in the nursery!" Fitz said, trying to convince Ward as they entered the shop Fitz had previously been to with Skye.

"All I'm saying is that he's going to be a little too young to appreciate it." Ward argued

"You are never too young to appreciate a high tech spaceship!" Fitz told him excitedly.

"Don't you think it will look a little, well, clinical?" Ward asked.

"No, why would it feel clinical?"

"The inside of a space ship tends to be white. Which means we'll have a white nursery. Hospitals and medical bays are also white." Ward pointed out.

"I still think it would look awesome!" Fitz said, defending himself, leading Ward towards the rails he had found the monkey outfit on. "This is what I want to get him."

Ward laughed. He should have known Fitz would want to get something to do with monkeys.

"It wouldn't go with the spaceship."

"Hmm. I think you're right. Oh nice try! It doesn't _have_ to go with the spaceship."

"You want me to come out and say it don't you?" Ward asked.

"Say what?"

"I don't like the idea of a spaceship for a baby boy, maybe when he's a little older and spent too much time around your scientific influence."

Ward saw Fitz's face drop.

"I like the monkey suit though. Can't say Skye will, but I do."

That seemed to cheer Fitz up.

"But what theme? I mean, we can't just have boring blue!"

"Why don't you get the monkey suit and we can discuss it when Skye and Simmons get here." Ward suggested.

Fitz chose the size he wanted to get in the monkey suit and took it to the cashier. He recognised her as the girl who served him and Skye the last time they shopped in the store.

"It's a gift." Fitz whispered to her as she made to put it in a bag. Smiling, the young woman pulled a small box and carefully folded the suit up, put it in the box and wrapped it before putting it in a bag and handing it to Fitz.

The bell on the door sounded.

Fitz looked up to see Skye and Simmons enter. Ward seemed to have blended into the background.

"How was your swimming session?" Fitz asked.

"I need a new bathing suit if I'm going to be doing _that_ again!" Skye told him.

Fitz looked from Skye to Simmons.

"She kept falling out of her suit." Simmons explained.

"Where's Ward?" Skye asked, looking around the shop trying to spot his dark head.

"I'm here." He said softly from behind her, making Skye and Simmons jump slightly. "So what's the plan? Why are we all here."

"Well, we need some furniture, I need some new clothes and I think Simmons wants to fawn over the baby clothes." Skye told him matter of factly.

"Ok. So, furniture. We need a theme before we can select finishes and colours and things." Fitz said.

"I thought you had chosen a high tech spaceship theme?" Simmons asked.

"Robot Ward poo-poohed it."

Ward looked at Skye and caught her eye. He saw her mouth 'thankyou' and smiled his response.

"So all ideas are on the table?" Simmons asked.

"All ideas are on the table. We'll talk about it later when we have some more ideas." Ward said, wanting to get this shopping trip over and done with.

"Well, I'm just going to head over here and look at all the pretty baby clothes." Simmons said, inching her way over to a rail of clothes and running the nearest item through her hands."It feels so soft, and would you look at this colour!"

"Jemma! You're looking at the wrong gender! You need to look at boy's clothes!" Fitz told her, walking over to her and guiding her to the rails containing baby boy clothes.

"I guess that's you and me shopping for more bump clothes!" Skye chirrped, taking Ward's hand and leading him to the maternity section.

* * *

Ward helped Skye pick out some outfits to try on and waited outside the dressing room patiently while she changed. Each time Skye tried on something new she would open the door and show Ward to get his approval. Skye had been in the changing rooms for an hour when she opened the door.

She looked at Ward and watched as he silently raised his eyebrows.

"Why is everything pink?" Skye moaned.

"Because pregnancy is seen as a natural and highly feminine act so everything is pink to represent that. The people who make maternity clothes clearly haven't thought about the practical mothers who hate pink." Ward told her.

"You get that out of one of your books?" Skye asked him.

"No, casual observation."

Skye, having decided what clothing she was going to get, closed the door and changed back into the clothes she had been wearing. She came back out and gave Ward what she wanted, placing what she didn't on the 'unwanted' rail.

She and Ward left the changing room laughing and joking. Ward suddenly stopped, tugged on Skye's arm and pulled her to the floor behind a rail.

* * *

"I can't believe he vetoed your spaceship idea!" Simmons placated Fitz as they looked through the thousands of baby clothes the store had to offer.

"I see where he's coming from. Maybe when he's old enough to actually know what's going on."

"Ooo-ooo-ooo! I know. What about a carousel?" Simmons asked.

"You trying to traumatise the poor kid?"

"What's wrong with horses?"

"Carousel horses are a little terrifying. I used to have nightmares about them when I was a kid!"

"Oh Fitz! Irrational fears are different for everybody. The baby might not even be scared of horses! I'm going to pitch it as an idea!"

"What do you think to this?" Fitz asked pulling an outfit off the rail.

"That is so cute! I think I'm going to get it."

Fitz tossed the outfit onto the rapidly expanding 'to buy' pile before eyeing it up.

"There's quite a lot of clothes here, maybe we should go through them?"

Simmons looked at the pile and then back to the rails.

"I want to finish looking at the rest of the clothes first."

Rolling his eyes at Simmons, Fitz began to browse through the racks again.

"It's amazing that you've changed your mind about this whole baby thing but, you do know Ward won't let you buy half of this stuff, right?" he told her.

"Grant Ward will just have to get used to people buying gifts for the little one."

"Excuse me Miss. Did you just say the name Grant Ward and little one in the same sentance?" A male voice asked them.


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: Whoop! 200 reviews! Thankyou all for sticking with me... I have some eventful stuff planned for this... Enjoy!**

* * *

_Still 29 weeks!_

Simmons was taken aback. She had no idea who this person was and hoped to high hell that this man and the woman behind him weren't Hydra. She scanned the room looking for Ward and saw a flutter of movement over by a clothing rail and saw Ward's boot sticking out from the side of it.

"Excuse me Miss?" the man asked again.

She saw Ward peek around from the clothing rail and saw him make cut throat motions with his hand, mouthing 'NO' as he did.

"I didn't say Grant Ward, I said... that... our friends were...granting... awards... for the best baby gift." She stammered.

"Why would they have to get used to it if they are doing that?" the man asked sceptically.

"Because they aren't the sort of people who accept gifts willingly, but, as their friends we told them that we were going to get their child gifts so they put the competition in place." Fitz told him, covering for Simmons, whom he knew was a lousy liar.

Simmons watched as Skye crept to Ward's side so she could watch what was happening too. Clearly Skye knew this man, otherwise she wouldn't be hiding.

The man looked at Fitz and Simmons like he didn't quite believe them, but he took Fitz's explanation as his female companion arrived back at his side.

"I've found what I was looking for darling, we can go now." She told him in a snotty voice, waving a breast pump box at him.

"Ok sweetheart, we can pay and leave. I have other things to do today and you breaking your breast pump by using it where it wasn't meant to be used has _not_ helped my schedule."

"If you let me manage my own money you wouldn't have had to come." She retorted under her breath as the man took the box off her and headed towards the cashier.

Simmons watched the movement of the clothes on the rail as Ward and Skye disappeared from view again.

The bell rang as the mystery man and woman left the store. Simmons put the baby suit she was holding down and went to find Ward.

"It's ok, they're gone." She told them.

Ward got to his feet and helped Skye up.

"Friends of yours?" Fitz asked.

"Not exactly." Ward replied.

"You do know them, so does Skye, otherwise you wouldn't have both hidden and made this gesture at me." Simmons pointed out, mimicking the cut throat gesture.

"Yes, we know them, well, Ward knows him and I've had a brief encounter that the guy isn't going to forget in a while."

"Will you just tell us who he is already?" Fitz demanded, losing his patience.

"That was my younger brother who Skye knocked out at the funeral of my older brother. He thinks I am in SHIELD, but more specifically, Skye's custody."

"Ah ha! Hence the hiding thing."

"Hence the hiding." Skye agreed.

"On the bright side, I came up with a theme idea for the nursery." Ward told them, catching them all by surprise.

"Me too!" Simmons chirped.

"Simmons, I am not going to put carousel horses on the goddamn walls of a baby boy's nursery!" Fitz told her.

"But, but, but!" Simmons protested.

"Why don't we hear the robot's idea?" Skye suggested, curious to know what theme a man like Ward could come up with.

"Tree house in the woods."

Skye, Fitz and Simmons all looked at him.

"We can put stars on the ceiling, trees on the walls, we can make it in a tropical rainforest, we can make it high tech so that the baby can learn interactively through play, all of the furniture could be wooden themed, I can see this working!" Fitz rambled excitedly.

"I like it. I think Fitz might like it judging by the speed his mouth's moving and I think Simmons will come round to the idea when it's done." Skye told Ward before reaching up on her toes to kiss him on the lips.

"Ok, so I might no longer have a problem with the fact that the two of you are having a baby, but can you please not do that in front of me?"

Simmons and Skye went to the pile of baby clothes Simmons wanted to get them to try and reduce it in size while Ward and Fitz went select the baby furniture.

Ward pulled the van into the playground later that evening. Once they had loaded it with their purchases the four of them had climbed in and headed back, discussing ideas about the tree house based nursery.

* * *

Ward opened the door and climbed out, closely followed by Skye while Simmons and Fitz exited from the other side.

"And where have you four been?" Bobbi asked them from the shadows, Hunter behind her.

Simmons and Fitz looked at Ward and Skye and made their excuses to leave the room.

Confused, Bobbi and Hunter turned their attention back to Ward and Skye.

"We were, well, we..." Skye stammered.

"The four of us were out shopping for nursery furniture." Ward told them flatly.

"Simmons was right wasn't she?" Hunter asked them.

"About what?" Bobbi asked him.

"Skye's pregnant and Ward here is the father."

"Wait, you _knew_?" Bobbi asked him, shocked.

"Well, no, but Simmons asked me if I knew, which I didn't..."

"Just stop talking. I want details." Bobbi demanded, turning her attention back to Ward and Skye.

Ward raised his eyebrows at her while Skye was choking with laughter.

"Not those details. I meant how far along, boy, girl, due date. You know – things like that!"

Skye was still laughing uncontrollably so Ward answered her.

"29 weeks, boy as far as the doc can tell and due, when did she say?"

"June 6th." Skye managed to croak, the laughter subsiding a little.

"Well, I guess congratulations are in order."

"Thankyou. Now _you_ get to cart all that stuff to the room Coulson said we could have." Skye said, turning to face Ward.

"Oh the joys!"


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: I am sorry this took so long to update – I have had a few personal issues that have prevented me from writing and I wanted to get back into the swing of it by updating a couple of my other fics, before being sent a message about a Horror writing contest that I surprisingly felt compelled to write a story and enter into it (didn't come anywhere close to winning)... Updates are still going to be slow as my life settles down again, but I promise I will try to update a little more often than I have recently!**

* * *

_33 Weeks_

"Skye, I know your job is stressful and all, but you seriously need to start taking it easy. You're blood pressure is starting to drop, which is NOT a good sign. Do you understand?" Hayley told Skye during one of their routine consultations.

"I _am_ slowing down. Do you think its easy being this big and needing to help save the world via computer while trying to decorate a nursery?" Skye protested.

"I know it's not, but I'm sure Grant and Fitz are more than capable that decorating the nursery, I thought that was the plan?"

"It was. Fitz was so excited he wanted to get stuck into it, but Ward managed to slow him down and plan it out first. Now they are dragging their feet and need a quick kick up the..."

"Skye" Hayley warned "If anyone will kick them up the butt, it will be me, am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, but I'm terrified they will screw up the nursery and it won't exactly be baby friendly."

"I will make sure it is, now will you slow down?"

"What about my job?"

"It's called Maternity Leave."

"What if they need me? I mean I'm the only one they have that can hack into..."

"Skye, stop. They got on fine without you before, they will manage again. And if they are really stuck, then they can call, but I am grounding you and I have no problems locking you in a room with a tonne of books and a TV and a direct line to a mild sedative that is safe to take while you're pregnant." Hayley told her, putting up her hands to quash Skye's protesting.

Knowing she wasn't going to win the argument, Skye reluctantly agreed to slow down and start taking it easy.

* * *

"Why me?" Ward asked Coulson as Bobbi flew them and Hunter to a lab built into the Brazilian hillside.

"I needed someone with your specialist skillset."

"What? Assassination?" Hunter asked Coulson, wondering if he had lost his mind.

"While Ward has proved, time and time again that he is an exceptional, unrivalled assassin, those are not the skills I am calling on." Coulson explained

"You have more than one skill?" Hunter asked Ward.

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve, but seen as though I am here and May is back at base with Skye, I am going to guess it has to do with things that go boom?" Ward queried.

"Things that go boom?" Hunter smirked.

"Ward is also exceptional when it comes to bombs. Especially when they are made by Hydra."

"You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me." Hunter stated.

"Our Intel suggests that Hydra infiltrated this building, planting the bomb to try and blackmail the CEO into making them specialised weapons of mass destruction."

"If they were planning it, it's not something they told me about." Ward said, the edges of his lips turning up, hinting at a smile, as Coulson and Hunter looked at him.

"What did you find out?" Coulson asked him, correctly interpreting his smile.

"The weapon they are talking about is based on the one that can turn people to stone, before crumbling to bits, and they are wanting to make it so that multiple barbs can be shot out at the same time, hitting as many people as possible creating maximum carnage."

"How do you know if they never told you about it?" Hunter queried.

"Same way I know you are carrying two sidearms, one at each hip. You are also carrying a back up, not holstered; I'm guessing a revolver, at your right ankle. You are also carrying a knife."

"How do you know all that?" Hunter asked him, his jaw dropping slightly.

"I pay attention. It's the only way to stay alive."

"So what's Bobbi carrying?"

"Two electrically charged batons, three guns and a knife in a rather impressive, yet uncomfortable place."

"He's right, how do you know where the knife is?" Bobbi asked from the cockpit.

"It bulges slightly. So what's the plan?" Ward said, changing the subject.

"You and I will locate the bomb and disarm it, while Bobbi and Hunter locate the server room and download all Intel they can regarding the weapon and then we rendezvous back at the jet."

"Right guys. Brace yourself for landing!"

* * *

Twenty minutes later Ward and Coulson were staring at a bomb in a hole of a column.

"Why here? I mean, if you want to inflict the most damage why not in a high traffic area?" Coulson asked as Ward inspected the hole.

"It could be the threat is enough, or more likely seen as though Hydra planted it, that this column is the major one holding up the inside of the building, you blow it, you blow the supports and the inside of the building collapses causing carnage."

"So you cut the wrong wire and we're all dead."

"Basically, so no pressure there."

Coulson watched in fascination as Ward took a mouth spray bottle out of his pocket and spray it through the hole.

"What exactly are you doing?"

"Trying to avoid being blown up for a second time this year." Ward explained, risking a glance to Coulson, who raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"The bomb that broke my back, it had a laser grid that triggered it. I'm just checking this one's clean. The spray shows up any traps." He elaborated, finishing with the spray and putting it back into his pocket.

"Good call. I wouldn't want May to have to tell Skye why they're pulling our remains out from underneath a building full of rubble."

"Even if we did survive, I doubt we would last long without Skye killing us both!" Ward replied with a small chuckle.

"So can you diffuse it?"

"Yes, but we are going to need to get Bobbi and Hunter out of the building and get Skye hacked into the system before I cut the last wire."

"Why?"

"It's wired into the security system."

"So it'll sound the alarm? We can beat an alarm."

"But can we beat the steel shutters that hammer to the floor the second it's tripped?"

"Steel shutters?"

"Saw them on the way in, didn't take a genius to figure it out."

Coulson wiggled his earwig, turning it on.

"Bobbi, Hunter, do you copy?"

"Hey Coulson, we're nearly into the system."

"When you're done head straight back to the jet and let us know when you're clear."

"Ward can't diffuse the bomb?"

"He can, but it's going to trigger one hell of a security system."

"There's no way around it?"

"No. And you better get Skye into the security system, just in case."

* * *

"Ok Coulson, we're clear."

"Good. Skye?" Coulson asked.

"Right here boss, though the Doc isn't too happy about it." Skye told him brightly.

"The Doc can kiss my ass." Ward grumbled.

"So what do you need me to do?" Skye asked.

"We need you to override the security system and get us the hell out of here." Coulson told her.

"Coulson, I can see the schematics for the security system, but it's only an alarm. Why are you so concerned?"

"You certain?"

"100%"

"Ward, cut that wire."

Taking a deep shaky breath Ward placed the wire between the blades of his wire cutters and pressed them closed.

The effect was almost instantaneous.

Steel shutters slammed down in every doorway, the lights went out and were replaced by dim red glows and Coulson and Ward were trapped.

* * *

Skye watched via the computer screen as Ward and Coulson raced for the door and she immediately began to tap at the keys to the computer she was using.

"Dammit Skye, what happened?" May demanded.

"I don't know, there was no indication on the schematics of anything more serious than an alarm." She told her, panic starting to rise.

"I can't hear them."

"Must be a part of the system, making it impossible for people to communicate via electronics."

"Can you break though it?"

"I'm working on it, but they keep shutting me out. I need another computer."

Skye wheeled her chair over to the computer Fitz was working at and shooed him out of the way. She tapped at the computer for a few seconds before returning to the previous one.

"What did you do?" May asked her, feeling slightly helpless.

"I laid a false trail for them to fight while I attack their security system through a back door."

"How long?"

"Any, second, now."

They watched the shutter in the room start to rise and Ward and Coulson duck underneath it. Using the blueprints she had managed to locate on the server, Skye slowly and methodically opened door after door until Coulson and Ward were out of the building, closing them as soon as they had passed after shots rang out.

"You guy's ok?" they heard Bobbi ask.

"Yeah. That was one hell of a security system. I wonder where they got the idea from for those doors?" they heard Coulson say.

"Louvre." Ward voice hissed through the silence.

Skye let out the breath she didn't realise she had been holding when she heard his voice.

"You got hit with a bullet didn't you" She asked him.

"It was just a glance." He reassured her.

"Job's done. Let's get home. So the Louvre uses those doors?" Coulson said.

"Try pulling a painting off the wall."

"No thanks. Wait have you?"

Skye laughed as she pushed her chair away from the desk. She got to her feet and grabbed hold of May's arm, the room swimming in front of her.

"I don't feel so good." She murmured before collapsing into a heap on the floor.


	42. Chapter 42

_Still 33 weeks..._

"Skye!" May shouted

"What's happened?" Ward asked her.

May looked around the room and saw Simmons through the glass.

"Simmons! Get in here! I need some help! Fitz, the doctor. NOW!" May shouted, dropping to the floor and positioning Skye's body into the recovery position so the baby wouldn't get hurt.

"MAY!" Ward shouted again.

"She's collapsed. Fitz has gone to get the doctor." May finally told him when Simmons had run into the room and taken over Skye's care.

"Is she alright?" Coulson asked

"I don't know. Fitz is getting Hayley."

* * *

"What's the quickest we can get there?" Coulson asked Bobbi as the four of them raced into the hold of the jet.

"Five hours on full speed."

Coulson looked at the worried expression on Ward's face.

"Make it a quick five hours."

The roar of the engines deafened anything that was said as the Bobbi lifted the jet from the ground and set a course for the playground.

Coulson was studying Ward and he could see his eyes darken and begin to glaze.

"So tell me about the Louvre, which painting did you try to steal?" Coulson asked him, recognising Ward was about to start brooding and needing to keep his mind off Skye.

"It wasn't a painting. It was the base of one of the statues. Apparently it held the key to something I knew nothing about." Ward told him, his voice hoarse.

"Which statue?" Coulson probed

"Winged Glory." Ward told him with a smile.

"As in the angel thing that sat in Zeus's hand while he sat on his throne, the one you are supposed to be able to see Zeus's thumb near its base?" Hunter asked

"The one and only."

"So come on, how do you beat steel shutters?" Hunter asked. He was genuinely intrigued.

"It's easy when you actually have the schematics to the security system. All paintings and statues are connected to a sensor that has a continuous circuit passing through it. You disconnect the circuit and the shutters slam down."

"So what? You fake the connection of the circuit?" Hunter asked.

"It's not a laser where you can slide a mirror in to deflect the beam, in order to fool the circuit you would need to disconnect it."

"Which would trigger the shutters." Coulson pointed out.

"Exactly."

"I've got it. Acetylene torch." Hunter suggested.

"Yes, Hunter, Ward walked into the Louvre with an acetylene torch up his sleeve." Bobbi told him, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Even if I had managed to smuggle one in, by the time it had cut through enough bars for me to get out, the guards would have already been on me."

"Will you just spit it out!" Hunter demanded, the tone of his voice indicated that he was getting frustrated.

"Before I touched Winged Glory I changed into a maintenance uniform, which meant that I could move things around without attracting too much attention. I cased the area, knew where all the steel doors were. I also knew my escape route. I found the biggest, sturdiest plant pot that I could and put it into the doorway. The next plant pot I placed to the side of the statue so that I wouldn't damage it when it fell. Then I pushed it over. The doors slammed shut around me, but the planter I moved stopped one of them from shutting properly, so I dived under it, kicked the planter so the door shut properly and sprinted down the corridor."

"But all the doors in the entire building were closed, how would running down the corridor help you get out?" Hunter asked, confused.

"Because his escape route was not out a door, it was out a window. I'm guessing the one that overlooks the road and someone was waiting in a vehicle for him to jump before setting off." Coulson answered for Ward, knowing which corridor Ward was talking about from his own Louvre visits.

Ward smiled his response. He knew why Coulson was keeping him talking and he appreciated it, even though he highly doubted the conversation would last to the playground.

* * *

Skye opened her eyes and groaning at the brightness of the room, immediately shut them again. She could hear someone moving around the room.

"I've dimmed the lights. You should be able to open your eyes now." She heard Hayley's voice say to her.

Skye attempted to open her eyes again, first starting out at a squint before slowly opening them properly.

"What happened?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, don't you."

"I passed out. The baby?"

"The baby is fine, but your blood pressure bottomed out and your body didn't take too well to it, hence the passing out."

"Why?"

"Stress. I warned you about it _yesterday_. Now I want you to listen to me."

"I'm listening."

"You need bed rest. I want you in here until your vitals normalise, then you will stay in bed and get waited on hand and foot by Grant and your friends. You will only get out of bed to use the bathroom."

"But."

"But nothing. If you insist on continuing down the path you're currently on, you could go into premature labour, which could cause not only you, but your unborn child some serious health issues, and we are not equipped to deal with premature babies who have the sort of health conditions I'm talking about."

Skye opened her mouth to answer back, but stopped at Hayley's words.

"So what do I do?"

"Watch TV, read books, get some sleep before you no longer can."

"And what if the team need me."

"Tough."


	43. Chapter 43

_36 weeks._

"King me." Skye demanded as she landed her checker on one of Simmons start positions.

"You are far too good at this game." Simmons replied as she put a red checker on the one Skye had just moved.

"I have far too much time on my hands now I'm bed ridden."

"How's the book going?"

"I'm not really enjoying it."

"Really? I loved that book."

"I'm more into the crime and mystery writers, you know. Reichs, Grisham, Cussler, Cornwell."

"It's got mystery." Simmons protested.

"When the guy and the girl hook up is not really that much of a mystery." Skye laughed.

There was a knock on the door and Fitz poked his head around the door.

"Simmons, can I borrow you for a minute?" he asked, nodding behind him to the corridor.

"I'll be right back." Simmons promised as she uncurled herself from the bed and followed Fitz to the corridor.

"Ward...hand...bleeding...saw." Was all Skye could hear Fitz say to Simmons through the open door and she started to get worried. She could hear Simmons murmur a response, but couldn't make out what it was. She heard Fitz say something else to Simmons before she appeared around the door, smiling at her.

"What's happened?" Skye asked.

"Nothing. Ward managed to cut his hand on a saw. He's fine, but he needs a couple of stitches and Hayley's out with May."

"He's alright though?"

"From what Fitz just told me, he's fine."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. There's no need to worry. I'm going to go and sort his hand out and you aren't going to worry about it."

* * *

"How the hell did you cut your hand?" Hunter asked, laughing at Ward as he struggled onto one of the beds in the medical bay.

"Fitz. Saw. Lack of experience."

"What?"

"Fitz was sawing, I was holding the wood, the blade jumped off the wood and cut me instead."

Hunter doubled over with laughter, while Ward pressed the dressing into his hand. Fitz appeared in the door, closely followed by Simmons.

"What the hell did you do?" she demanded, looking at the bloody gauze in Ward's hand.

"I think it's kind of obvious, don't you?"

"It looks deep, not too deep to have caused any damage, but deep enough that it's going to need stitches."

"Lucky me."

"So the main lesson we have learned from this – _do not_ let Fitz loose with a saw." Hunter said, watching as Simmons put the gauze back onto Ward's hand and started moving around the room to gather everything she needed to repair it.

"That was not my fault, you distracted me!" Fitz protested.

"How is the nursery getting on?"

"It's nearly built, just needs painting after that." Ward told her as she poured alcohol onto his hand, making him wince.

"I thought you'd already painted it?"

"No, all we've done is project the images onto the walls and draw them." Fitz told her.

"Everytime we've been to get the paint the stores been closed." Hunter added.

"Have you tried going a little earlier?" Simmons asked.

"Do you think we're all idiots?" Fitz replied.

"Some more than others."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means only you three could be stupid enough to slice someone's hand open with a saw."

"When you're done we'll go try the store again."

* * *

Skye pressed the button that had been rigged up to call her friends. Simmons had left hours ago and she was starting to get worried. No one had come to help her, so she was beginning to suspect that the injury to Ward's hand was more severe than she was led to believe.

Pulling back the covers, Skye swung her feet over the edge of the bed and onto the floor, jumping slightly at the coldness. Glancing once more around the room, Skye pulled herself out of bed and went in search of someone who could give her some answers.


	44. Chapter 44

_Still 36 weeks..._

'Just a little further' Skye thought to herself as she padded down the corridor, ignoring the waves of pain that were washing over her. She was desperate to get some answers and the fact she had been walking around for the best part of twenty minutes and met no one was unnerving her.

She paused and backed into a wall as another wave of pain ran through her body.

"Oh God no! What have I done?" Skye asked as tears ran down her face and she sank to the floor, finally allowing herself to realise that by getting worked up and out of bed she had brought on an early labour.

Skye sat propped up against the wall trying to think of her options when another contraction hit her body, this one much stronger then they had been previously, causing her to hyperventilate.

* * *

"I can't believe they still don't have paint!" Fitz exclaimed as he, Ward and Hunter arrived back in the van.

"I think we need to look somewhere else." Ward told him.

"But they are the only store for miles that sells the shades we need!" Fitz protested.

"So we adjust the colour scheme slightly."

"That will ruin everything!"

"Ward's right. And besides, a baby isn't going to know the difference between leaf green and tropical green." Hunter interjected.

"NO. I have designed you all sorts of things, can I please have this?" Fitz pleaded.

"Tell you what Fitz. You have until the baby is born to source the paint. After that, we compromise."

"Done."

"Thank God your back! I went to check on Skye and she wasn't in her bed!" Simmons told them as she walked through the door.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know. I've been looking for her for an hour!"

"We better find her. Is Hayley back?"

"She got back five minutes ago. She's just debriefing with May and Coulson."

"Go get her. We're gonna need her. And we better split into groups to search, each taking a section and use the walkies when we find her." Ward instructed.

While Simmons went to tell Hayley, Coulson and May about the situation Ward, Hunter and Fitz divided the base into sections and assigned one to each of them. Ward and Fitz set off to search their section while Hunter waited to give May, Simmons and Coulson theirs.

* * *

"AAARRRGGGGHHHHH" Skye screamed, swallowing it as much as she could, tears now flowing freely down her face, her nails leaving angry red half crescents on her palms from trying to ride out the pain.

The pain ebbed enough for her to get her breath and wipe her nose with her wrist. She tried to remember everything Hayley had told her, but her natural panic instinct was taking over and she breathed rattling, heaving breaths.

The first she knew of company was when a strong arm draped around her shoulders and pulled her towards them. By the smell alone she knew it was Ward. She heard him say something, but it didn't register with Skye as she was thankful she was no longer alone.

"SSShhhhhhhh." Ward soothed, kissing the top of her head.

"I. Worried. Stupid. Thing." Skye sobbed out, gripping Wards hand as another contraction hit her.

"I know. I'm sorry. Fitz wanted to get to the store before it closed. I should have come to see you."

"I can't do this."

"You can and you will. And it will all be worth it when you hold our son in your arms."

"I can't."

"Not here anyway."

"Taxi for one!" Hunter chirped as he pulled up beside Skye with a wheelchair. "Jeez, who died?"

Skye looked daggers at Hunter, but allowed Ward to help her to her feet and into the chair.

"Hunter, why don't you...?" Ward suggested.

"Yeah, well, I better go tell Fitz if he doesn't get that paint today he's going to have to rethink." Hunter finished before leaving Ward to wheel Skye to Hayley.

"I used that contraption thing Fitz gave me, but no one came."

"I know. Simmons was supposed to be on the other end of it, but Coulson called her into a meeting."

"I was worried about you. I thought you had lost your hand or something!"

"It was just a cut. It was too deep to leave and only needed two stitches. I should have come and told you."

"This is all my fault!" Skye whimpered as she felt another contraction starting.

"Don't you dare. This is as much mine as it is yours. If I had come and seen you before paint shopping then you wouldn't have worried yourself enough to get out of bed."

Ward arrived at the medical suite and wheeled Skye into the room that Hayley had set up for the birth. He was surprised to see Simmons in the room gloving up alongside Hayley.

"Doctor Hayley needed some help." She offered as an explanation.

Together, Hayley and Ward helped Skye onto the bed, remove her pyjama bottoms and put her feet in the stirrups.

"Alright Skye. I'm just going to see where we are." Hayley said, placing a blanket over Skye's legs.

"This is very weird." Skye admitted.

Hayley laughed before moving back into Skye's eyeline.

"Ok, so good news, bad news."

"Good."

"Good news; you are definatley in labour, bad news; you are only one centimetre dialated. You better brace yourself for a long night." Hayley explained.

"How long?"

"How long is a piece of string?"

Skye groaned.

"Why don't you try and rest. You might not get chance later."

"Rest?" Skye asked hysterically "with ravages of pain running through me in periodic intervals!"

"It's not ideal, but it will only get worse. I suggest you rest while you have minutes between contractions rather than regret it when you only get seconds." Hayley explained.

"If it makes you feel better, Coulson is pacing outside the door and May is on standby in the jet in case we need to transfer you both to a specialist unit." Simmons added, hoping it would calm her down.

"No, it really doesn't!"

* * *

**A/N: Fair warning - there's only going to be a couple more chapters in this story because (as much as I wish it could) it can't go on for ever!**


	45. Chapter 45

_72 somewhat exhausting and painful hours later... _(**A/N: Yes – this can happen – it happened to a friend of mine!)**

"Come on Skye, a few more pushes!"

"I am going to kill you!" Skye grunted as she pushed through the pressure of the contraction, thankful Hayley had given her an epidural.

"No you're not because I can see his head!" Hayley told her.

"You can?" Ward asked, leaving Skye's side to look, earning himself a smack off Simmons before returning to Skye's side.

"I am never doing this again."

"You say that _now_..." Ward teased, feeling the pressure on his hand tighten.

"Skye, I want you to push as if the world were ending."Hayley ordered.

"I don't think I can."

Ward bent in close to Skye and kissed her temple.

"Skye you can and you will. Do you want to know how I know? I know because I love you and you are one of the strongest people I know." He whispered in her ear.

Skye squeezed his hand and felt the pressure than indicated she needed to start pushing.

"Oh my God, he's coming," Simmons whispered.

"PUSH SKYE!"

Skye gave one last effort before collapsing back down onto the bed.

"And again Skye!"

"What's happening? Simmons said he was coming?"Skye asked, panicked.

"Well, he keeps making an appearance and then going back in." Hayley explained

"What do we do?"

"We give him one more chance before I grab hold and pull."

"You can do that?" Simmons asked, mirroring Skye's pale face.

"We'll need those forceps ready."

Simmons passed Hayley a large instrument that reminded Skye of a torture chamber. As she felt the pressure again, she resolved Hayley would NOT have to use them.

"He's coming, keep pushing Skye. Good Girl. His head's clear, keep going! I'm just going to wiggle his shoulders free."

Skye kept pushing, glad to hear her child was nearly here.

When she was spent, Skye laid back onto the bed, her hair being smoothed by Ward. She could see through bleary eyes a flurry of movement.

"He's here." Ward whispered.

"Do you want to cut the cord, dad?"

"I'll be back." Ward said as he kissed Skye on the head and took the scissors Hayley was holding out for him. He passed the cord between the blades and pressed down. Once the cord was cut, Hayley passed the baby to Simmons who started clearing his airway while Hayley finished tending to Skye.

"Is he really here?" Skye asked Ward, cotton wool clouding her mind.

"He's here. They're just doing baby things to him.

As if the baby heard Ward's words, he started crying, taking in his first lung-fulls of air.

Skye relaxed and looked over at Simmons, who was wrapping her baby up in a baby blue blanket before scooping him up in her arms and carrying him over.

"Who wants first dibs?" Simmons asked.

"Skye. She brought him into the world." Ward told her, propping Skye's arm up with a pillow while Simmons carefully placed the baby into her embrace.

Skye sat looking at him, with Ward sitting by her side stroking the baby's head, for what felt like eternity before she felt her eyelids drooping. Passing him to Ward, Skye slid down the bed to get more comfortable.

* * *

Skye awoke suddenly to a quiet room. Thinking she was alone, she swung her legs out of the bed and went to find where her son was. The second her feet hit the floor she heard a voice.

"Hayley said stay in bed for a day, you'll be too sore to move."

Looking at Ward with the tiny bundle in his arms Skye let out a breath and slid back into the bed.

"Is he ok? I mean, he's fine and not needing any of the medical treatment Hayley told me about?"

"He's perfect. You want to hold him again?"

Skye nodded her head and Ward passed her their baby who stirred at the movement.

"I know you don't like it, but after I have just gone through hell to bring him here, I want him to have Grant as his middle name."

"Why? I am not a very good role model."

"He says _after_ the baby is born." Skye told him, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"I'm being serious, why do you want to name him after me?"

"Because I love you, I always have and you are the strongest person I know. Look at what you have gone through to get here."

"You helped!"

"Yeah but he'd get picked on if we gave him the middle name Skye. Please let me have this?"

"Alright, but only because I love you and want you to be happy."

"And I am being serious, there's going to be no more!"

"Of course theres not."

The baby started crying as the door opened and Hayley slid into the room.

"Hey! How you doing?"

"I feel better."

"He's about ready for his feed."

"I'll come back in a few minutes and let you have some privacy." Ward said, leaving the room.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Ward returned closely followed by Coulson.

"Coulson!" Skye exclaimed, shifting her body position slightly.

"I thought I'd come by and see how you're doing."

"Really?"

"Of course!"

"You sure you didn't come by to see the baby?" Ward smirked.

"Alright, I did want to see the baby, where is he?"

"He's in that weird plastic crib thing." Skye said, nodding next to her bed.

Coulson moved around the room and peered into the crib.

"Oh my! He's simply adorable."

"Do you want to hold him?" Skye asked him.

"Sure." Coulson replied, rather hesitantly as Skye got out of bed and picked the baby out of the crib before passing him to Coulson.

When Coulson was certain he wouldn't drop him he started to relax and sat in a chair so he could talk with Skye and Ward.

"So do you have a name for him or are we just going to call him baby for a while?"

"We have a name and I hold no responsibility over his middle one!" Ward answered.

Coulson looked from Ward to Skye.

"We have named him Evan Grant Ward."

To their surprise, Coulson chuckled.

"What?" Skye asked, thinking she had made some mistake.

"Nothing, but do either of you know what the meaning behind those names are?"

"No." Ward and Skye replied simultaneously.

"Great Warrior Protector."


	46. Chapter 46

_Three Years Later..._

"Dada Dada! Look at me!" Evan squealed as Simmons pushed him on the swing.

"I can see you!" Ward replied

The team were taking a rare day off and spending their time in the park having a picnic, but Evan had kept making a break for the swings until Simmons took him to play while Skye, Ward and Coulson unpacked the food and May, Fitz, Hunter and Bobbi threw the frizbee around.

"Oof."

"Skye? You ok?" Ward asked.

"Yeah, our daughter is playing soccer with my organs again."

"She's going to be a kickboxer."

"She better bloody not be. I'm going to goto the bathroom. Coulson, do you want to go corral the others, lunch is ready?"

"I'll go." Ward offered, getting to his feet.

Ward set off towards May, Fitz, Bobbi and Hunter to tell them lunch was ready, with the intention of collecting Evan and Simmons after.

Ward had crossed to about halfway there when he was stopped dead by a voice he recognised. He turned to face Thomas.

"Now Christian's funeral I get, you were in SHIELD custody, even though I'm still not convinced she was really SHIELD, but enjoying a picnic in the park? _You are a criminal_. You should be in custody, not sunshine."

"What can I say Thomas, I have repayed my sins and I am now a free man now choosing to work for the right side."

"You're SHIELD?" Thomas scoffed.

"Yes."

"You are a psychopath and that girl that assaulted me last time we met is a loony."

"That girl is now my wife, and she wouldn't have touched you if you hadn't threatened to call the authorities and insulted her."

"You see, fear of authorities tells me she's not on the level and all the friend's you're with are all Hydra."

"What's going on?" Simmons asked, carrying Evan to where Ward was stood.

"I'm calling the authorities. Right now."

Evan, seeing Thomas's phone, lunged out of Simmons arms and towards the phone, managing to knock it out of his hands and onto the concrete pavement, where it smashed into pieces.

"Looks like you're not calling anyone for a while." Ward laughed taking Evan off Simmons and turning to walk away.

"Was that who I think it was?" Simmons asked him as they walked back over to the picnic.

"Yeah."

"He is one nasty piece of work."

"And you all think I was exaggerating about him."

Ward put Evan down on the blanket and chose him a plateful of food from the selection they had prepared.

"Ward, why is Thomas here?" Skye asked.

"Who's Thomas?" May asked.

"My other brother. He's here with the latest redhead and he spotted me coming to get you guys, cut me off and threatened to call the authorities."

"Why didn't he?"

"Evan smashed his phone."

Skye muted a laugh. She knew that she should be telling Evan off for the phone incident, but he was living up to his name and protecting Ward.

"Give me a minute." Skye said, getting up and heading down the hill towards Thomas, closely followed by Coulson.

"Hey, you. Thomas!" She called.

Thomas looked up and saw Skye approaching him and he paled, remembering the last time he saw her.

"What do you want?" He demanded.

"Leave him alone. He has never done anything to you, but you still treat him like the scum of the earth, but he's not. He is a kind and compassionate man who wants to make a difference in the world. Yes he got off to a rocky start, but he's making up for it now." Skye ranted at him.

"He is not SHIELD. I highly doubt _you_ are SHIELD and I am ashamed to call him my brother."

Skye stepped forwards and thrust the heel of her hand into Thomas's nose, making it bleed, before storming back to the picnic.

"Would you believe me?" Coulson asked, handing over his badge and ID. "I am the director of SHIELD and your brother has more than made up for the crimes he committed as a HYDRA agent. He is one of our most valuable assets and he is in fact a good man and I will tell you this: You may be ashamed he is your brother, but you have the choice. Leave him alone and don't speak to him again, or forgive him because Skye is right. He's done nothing to you."

"What if I don't want either of those options?"

"Then I will dig up and expose so much of your dirt you won't know what's hit you."

"I have nothing to hide."

"Not even your fondness for redheads?" Coulson asked before rejoining the picnic.

"What did you say to him?" Ward asked as he sat down.

"Threatened to expose his redhead fetish. I don't think he'll bother you again."

"Evan go swim!" Evan announced and made a break for the lake by the concrete path.

Eight adults dropped their food and dived after him before he could jump into the water fully clothed.

* * *

**A/N: This is the last chapter in this fic. I hope you have all enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it. Please let me know what you think – or if you know any areas where I could improve.**

**Thankyou!**


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